Road safety campaigners want better training for TEC and De Lijn bus drivers in Brussels

Brussels road safety organisation Heroes for Zero is calling for an investigation after two serious accidents last week in which bus drivers for Wallonia’s TEC and Flanders’ De Lijn caused accidents in Brussels that left people seriously injured.

Heroes for Zero called the accidents, one of which left a seven-year-old boy with amputations and in a critical condition, “tragedies with irreversible consequences”.

The accidents took place hours apart from one another. In the other accident, a scooter rider was seriously injured.

“The scooter rider is no longer in a life-threatening condition, but will probably suffer lifelong consequences from the accident,” the safety organisation said, referring to conversations had with the victims’ families.

Heroes for Zero’s Harold Habousha is asking Brussels road safety minister Elke Van den Brandt (Groen) to launch an investigation into the level of training received by TEC and De Lijn bus drivers operating in Brussels.

The organisation wants Van den Brandt to conduct a thorough comparison of the driving standards at the two transport companies and those at Stib, Brussels’ own public transport operator.

“We cannot accept that, within the same region, training requirements should differ depending on the transport company,” Habousha said, noting that De Lijn uses private subcontractors.

“Stib bus drivers receive special training to make them aware of the dangers of distraction, to teach them how to deal with vulnerable road users, especially cyclists. This training has significantly improved their defensive driving behaviour. But what about drivers from other transport companies?”

Heroes for Zero is calling on the region to conduct an investigation into both accidents and ensure that road safety takes precedence over "commercial speed" for all bus companies, saying this should ease the pressure on drivers travelling through Brussels.

The group is also advocating for more details to be released about serious accidents on public roads, but always "with respect for privacy", explaining that the information available is often limited to details in the press.

“This makes it difficult to understand the underlying causes of traffic accidents, which prevents a well-informed public debate,” said Habousha, pointing out that other cities such as London release such data in order to improve road safety in the city.

One reason the organisation wants a thorough investigation into the recent accidents is that it suspects the areas in which they took place could be partly to blame.

Both Place Charles Rogier and Porte de Hal, the sites of the accidents, are known to be busy and dangerous.

But figures do not show an unusually high number of accidents involving buses, Bruzz reports, especially considering the volume of bus traffic.

Rogier sees 21 bus lines pass through, with 12 of the 1,396 accidents recorded in the area over the past 10 years involving buses in Brussels. None of them resulted in serious injuries.

In total, there have been 78 serious injuries and eight deaths in accidents involving buses in Brussels over the past decade.

“I come here every day, and I hold my breath every time,” De Lijn driver Tom De Winter told Bruzz in regards to Rogier.

“I'm extremely careful here. Cyclists and scooter riders come from all directions and before you know it, you're in a collision.”

A TEC driver who frequently passes through Porte de Hal said they were similarly vigilant: “Brussels, and not specifically Porte de Hal, is dangerous as a whole.

"It's more difficult here than elsewhere. You have to be 100% focused, because 99% is not enough, and two eyes are not enough either. Everyone does what they want and it seems as if there are no traffic rules."

The driver suggested that bus drivers who operate in Brussels daily are likely better at navigating it, but that some drivers are only in the capital once a week.

A mobility expert who wished to remain anonymous told Bruzz that this makes sense. Stib drivers who navigate Brussels every day are said to be better at handling the busy traffic than De Lijn and TEC drivers. Training on how to deal with vulnerable road users is also said to be more thorough at Stib.

But in regards to the two recent accidents, both drivers were particularly experienced and have been driving in Brussels daily for years. It also is not yet clear whether either driver was at fault in either accident.

The De Lijn driver returned to work on Wednesday last week, while the TEC driver is first receiving psychological support.

“Our drivers are extremely well prepared and skilled,” said De Lijn spokesperson Jens Van Herp.

“The basic training course lasts eight weeks. Defensive driving is included and, after obtaining their driving licence, drivers receive additional training every year.

"There will be a specific training course on avoiding blind spot accidents. In addition, every De Lijn driver receives an extra course in defensive driving before being allowed to drive in Brussels."

TEC spokesperson Stéphane Thiery said it can be difficult to find drivers willing to tackle Brussels.

“The driving comfort is lower there,” Thiery said.

Stan Reusen of the ACOD tram-bus-metro union noted that stress and time pressure play a role in addition to knowledge and training.

“Stib operates in cycles, and if a bus is delayed, dispatch simply sends another one out,” said Reusen.

“But De Lijn operates on fixed service hours. Those schedules create stress to meet the timing. Especially if a driver wants to have some of his lunch break left, he has to respect his timing. We create an expectation that causes stress for everyone.”

Mobility expert Dirk Lauwers of the University of Antwerp advocates for better infrastructure due to increasing stress connected to the rise of high-speed scooters and smartphones that cause distraction.

“Public transport schedules are becoming increasingly tight and stress is on the rise - it’s unhealthy stress that takes its toll,” Lauwers said.

“You have to separate traffic flows between buses and trams on the one hand and pedestrians and cyclists on the other as much as possible.

"At critical points such as bus stops, this separation must be even stricter. For example, it should never be easy for a scooter rider to simply drive on to the bus lane.

"Just because scooter riders often make mistakes does not mean they deserve to be killed. Bus companies and governments must also take responsibility."

Fellow mobility expert Jesse Pappers from KU Leuven lives on Place Rogier and has personally observed the dilemma, often as a cyclist.

“It’s a pedestrian zone, which means that vulnerable road users, including scooters, have right of way over buses, but as a bus driver, you can't just wait forever for the endless stream of pedestrians to pass,” Pappers told Bruzz.

“On Boulevard du Jardin Botanique, you share the cycle lane with buses. That’s not pleasant. There’s only a cycle path on the other side, and even that isn't wide enough according to current standards. I would certainly welcome proper cycling infrastructure here.”

In the meantime, the seven-year-old Brazilian boy who was hit by the TEC bus remains in critical condition following the amputation of his hip and pelvis.

“Enzo was on his way home from school with his aunt Marisa and her two daughters,” said Ivanice Da Silva of Shekina Project, a non-profit organisation for the Brazilian community, speaking on behalf of the aunt.

According to the family, the TEC bus was supposed to give way to pedestrians when it hit Enzo.

“They don't yet know whether he will suffer brain damage as a result of the incident,” said Da Silva.

The public prosecutor’s office said the bus driver took an alcohol and drugs test, both of which were negative. The investigation is ongoing.