Flemish parliament to debate planned cuts to special education transport

The Flemish Parliament will hold a debate on Wednesday over planned changes to pupil transport for special education, following reports that operator De Lijn intends to discontinue more than 200 bus routes from the next academic year.

The debate was requested by Vlaams Belang and backed by the other opposition parties. Mobility minister Annick De Ridder (N-VA) is expected to miss the session due to work commitments abroad.

On Tuesday, it was reported that more than 200 routes used to transport pupils to special education schools will be scrapped. De Lijn has confirmed that routes will be discontinued, though it has not specified how many.

"We cannot accept that vulnerable students pay the price for political choices"

The move is part of efforts to keep pupil transport within the 139 million euro budget set for the next school year. De Lijn says it currently spends around 11 million euros more each year than the allocated budget to ensure all pupils can be transported.

According to the operator, all pupils will still be able to travel to school, but some journeys are expected to become longer. De Lijn can no longer guarantee a maximum one-way travel time of 90 minutes and is also considering replacing some door-to-door pick-ups with central collection points.

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The plans have drawn criticism from across the political spectrum. Jasper Pillen of Anders described longer journeys for pupils in special education as a step backwards.

"In a rich and prosperous region like Flanders, we cannot accept that vulnerable students pay the price for political choices. High-quality student transport is not a luxury, but a basic prerequisite for giving these students every opportunity," he said.

Vooruit called for long-promised reforms to pupil transport. "It is truly painful and un-child-friendly to see that not a single step forward has been taken in this area during this legislative term, and that on top of that, cuts are now being made without an alternative," said MP Gianna Werbrouck.

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