Hasselt prison bus route cut due to savings, impacting vulnerable residents

Public transport company De Lijn is eliminating bus line 6, which serves the Hasselt Station and the local prison, citing low ridership as the primary reason for the cut. This decision has drawn criticism from passenger advocacy group TreinTramBus and the director of the Hasselt prison.

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Hereby the weakest in our society are affected.

Peter Meukens, chairman of TreinTramBus, stated that the elimination of the line "disproportionately affects the weakest in our society." He explained that visitors to the prison will no longer have public transport access, calling it a "real setback." Additionally, the police headquarters is located along the route, making it difficult for individuals needing to report there.

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This is therefore a real setback and should not have happened. We hope this will be rectified.

Meukens suggested that De Lijn's route adjustments in the past, avoiding residential areas, may have contributed to lower passenger numbers. He believes alternative routing could have maintained ridership and prevented the line's cancellation.

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We understand that lines with less usage are being cut, but for the prison, it's not ideal.

Anca Wauters, director of the Hasselt prison, echoed these concerns. "We understand that lines with less usage are being cut, but for the prison, it's not ideal," she said. Wauters noted that many prison visitors are from lower-income backgrounds and will now face challenges. The nearest bus stop is 1.5 kilometers away, a significant distance for those with small children, mobility issues, or during inclement weather.

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We see that the next stop from the Hasselt prison is 1.5 kilometers away. That is not so far, of course, but if you visit with small children, with people who have difficulty walking or with a pregnant woman, that is quite a distance.