5 Dec '16

Too many De Lijn apps? There's an app for that

Summary

The Flemish public transport authority has announced fare increases to encourage passengers to switch to the cheaper mobile app. But things aren't always as simple as they seem

Crowded commute

The Flemish public transport authority, De Lijn, has announced a price increase for its SMS ticket, from €1.95 to €2.15, starting in February. The reason, as explained by mobility minister Ben Weyts, is to encourage passengers to switch to the M-ticket, sold via De Lijn’s own app.
 

But, as daily newspaper De Morgen discovered, De Lijn’s own app doesn’t actually sell the M-ticket; it simply instructs you you to send an SMS – with the additional 15c charge. The paper contacted De Lijn and was informed that it is working with three partners, each of which has an app that can deliver the M-ticket at the €1.80 price, without the surcharge.

They are BE Mobile, which was originally developed to provide SMS-paid parking services in 28 Flemish towns; Olympus Mobility, with an app developed for companies offering flexible mobility solutions; and Ticket Touch, the only one which appears to have been developed uniquely for the purpose.

So in fact you need two apps to travel with De Lijn – one for timetables and announcement of stops, the other for ticketing. So De Morgen asked: Could De Lijn not just integrate the M-ticket into their own app?

“We’ve no plans to do that for the time being,” spokesperson Astrid Hulhoven told the paper. “But we could link the ticket button to the three apps that provide the M-ticket at some point”.

Photo courtesy De Lijn

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De Lijn

De Lijn is Flanders’ public transportation system for city and regional travel. It operates bus and tram services across Flanders and parts of Brussels.
Belbus - De Lijn offers a taxi-meets-bus service in sparsely populated areas with its Belbus (Call bus). The Belbus only rides when a user requests it.
Kusttram - De Lijn operates the longest tramline in the world on the Belgian coast. Connecting Knokke in the north all the way to De Panne near the French border, the Coast Tram is the staple means of transportation along the coast.
Stakeholders - Three-quarters of Flemish municipalities are De Lijn stakeholders. Their shares don’t have any monetary value but do earn them a vote in the company’s annual general meeting.
1 990

De Lijn founded

93

largest-ever De Lijn investment in million euros

554

million passenger rides in 2012

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