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🇧🇪 Belgium /Culture & Society

Belgian bus company owner protests reduced safety inspections

From VRT NWS · () Dutch

Translated from Dutch, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • A Belgian bus company owner is protesting new regulations that reduce the technical inspection frequency for buses from twice a year to once a year.
  • Henri Rammant of Bell Tours argues this change compromises passenger safety, especially for buses covering high mileage.
  • He has resigned from his professional federation, citing their insufficient efforts to improve the bus industry's image.

Henri Rammant, owner of the well-known bus company Bell Tours in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, Belgium, is protesting a new regulation that will reduce the mandatory technical inspection frequency for buses from at least twice a year to just once annually, effective September 1. Rammant argues this change sends the wrong message and jeopardizes passenger safety.

A bus carries 50 passengers or more. Our vehicles cannot be checked often enough. They must be technically in perfect order.

— Henri RammantHenri Rammant of Bell Tours explains his concerns about the reduced inspection frequency for buses.

"A bus carries 50 passengers or more. Our vehicles cannot be checked often enough. They must be technically in perfect order," Rammant stated. He highlighted that while passenger cars will move from annual to biennial inspections, buses, which can cover up to 70,000 kilometers annually (and international coaches even more), will face less frequent checks. "It's absurd. Moreover, you lose less time at the inspection with a coach than with a passenger car. We have a separate waiting line."

It's absurd. Moreover, you lose less time at the inspection with a coach than with a passenger car. We have a separate waiting line.

— Henri RammantRammant criticizes the new inspection regulations, highlighting the efficiency of bus inspections compared to cars.

In protest, Rammant has withdrawn his company from the FBAA, the Federation of Belgian Autobus and Coach Entrepreneurs. He believes the federation is not doing enough to improve the image of bus companies, which he feels has been tarnished by negative news in recent months. "The cowboys in the sector must go," he asserted, referencing issues like bus drivers working excessive hours. He suggested mandatory tachographs in all passenger-carrying vehicles could solve such problems, but feels the federation is too slow to act on proposals.

The cowboys in the sector must go.

— Henri RammantRammant expresses his frustration with problematic operators in the bus industry.

However, Pieter Van Bastelaere of the FBAA explained that the change aligns Belgium with regulations in other European Union countries, where buses are inspected only once a year. "It is not necessary to maintain the old system, because it is certainly not the case that Belgian buses would be less safe," Van Bastelaere said. He added that the new regulation was unanimously approved by all relevant authorities, with only one company lodging a complaint.

It is not necessary to maintain the old system, because it is certainly not the case that Belgian buses would be less safe.

— Pieter Van BastelaerePieter Van Bastelaere of the FBAA defends the new regulation by comparing it to other EU countries.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by VRT NWS in Dutch. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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