Public transport makes an intrinsic contribution to sustainable development goals. It makes the city more breathable, stimulates the economy and job creation, and connects people. But STIB goes further. It puts people at the heart of its concerns. It works every day to create a city that is greener, more human and closer to people. A Brussels for everyone.
The European Investment Bank is helping to finance several major mobility projects in Brussels through loans to the Brussels-Capital Region. So far, 475 million has been granted for projects to extend the network and to replace and/or electrify the fleet, as part of the REPowerEU plan and the Recover and Resilience Facility (RRF) programme, which promote sustainable investment in member countries. These funds will help finance several projects:
The Brussels Region is facing a sharp rise in precariousness and drug addiction. This urban and societal issue directly affects STIB, as people seeking warmth and shelter look for refuge in its stations. Unfortunately, this situation creates a less than reassuring environment for passengers, undermines the cleanliness of the stations and hampers STIB's ability to carry out its missions. Furthermore, this increased presence represents a danger for the homeless people themselves. The risk of electrocution due to the presence of 900 volts on the tracks is also a key hazard, as is the risk of accidents and/or fire. For these reasons, it is necessary to adopt a global approach that is both human and safe and aims to offer an alternative to the presence of these vulnerable people in stations.
2023 marked the 35th anniversary of the collaboration between STIB and the non-profit association “Opération Thermos”. The association organises the distribution of hot meals at Botanique station throughout the winter. Of the 30,170 meals distributed last year, 6,616 were prepared by 41 STIB teams. STIB buses and drivers also transport volunteers and meals from the “Opération Thermos” kitchens to Botanique station for distribution.
STIB owns three properties that house electrical substations, located in Forest, Etterbeek and Schaerbeek. These substations are necessary for the daily operation of the network and are located behind the buildings. The layout of the front part does not allow STIB to use them for its activities. It has therefore decided to entrust Renovassistance and the social property agency Logement pour Tous with their renovation and management, to benefit people looking for low-cost housing.
This collaboration makes it possible to meet STIB's needs while helping people waiting for social housing.
Lifts are essential for wheelchair users, parents with pushchairs and passengers with suitcases to reach metro platforms. By the end of 2023, 55 of the 69 (pre)metro stations had accessible platforms thanks to the presence of lifts. After Jacques Brel and Madou in 2023, new accessibility upgrades are planned for the following Brussels stations in 2024 and 2025: Simonis, Horta, Parc and Albert.
AccessiBus provides reliable information for people with reduced mobility on the level of accessibility of stops. This system enables them to plan their journeys on the STIB network and choose their boarding and disembarking points according to their degree of accessibility: accessible independently, accessible with assistance or not accessible. At the same time, drivers receive enhanced training in the use of vehicle access ramps, and these are subject to ongoing maintenance.
All STIB's day and night bus routes are now "AccessiBus". The daytime network has been fully accessible since 2022. Noctis lines and stops have been audited and have been receiving "AccessiBus" information since 2023.
After AccessiBus, what could be more logical than launching AccessiTram? In addition to providing clear, comprehensive information on the level of accessibility at tram stops in 2024, the programme also includes the installation of portable ramps on board trams. In 2023, some 220 trams were fitted with two ramps, making a total of 440 ramps available to passengers to help People with Reduced Mobility board and disembark vehicles more easily.
Every three years, STIB undergoes an audit to verify that its activities comply with the ISO 14001 standard. This certification focuses on the continuous improvement of environmental performance. After those of 2017 and 2020, a third audit took place in 2023. It confirmed that STIB's environmental management system is strong and uniform, both in the company's workshops, garages and sites, and that its internal processes are in line with this standard.
Tram and metro traction requires a lot of electricity. To reduce its ecological footprint, STIB has been exclusively using certified 100% green electricity for more than 10 years. Since April 2023, it was decided not only to use electricity that is green but also electricity that is local, thanks to a contract with Belgian energy supplier Aspiravi, which operates several wind farms in Belgium. This five-year contract covers the supply of 50 GWh/year, or 20% of STIB's high-voltage consumption. It allows STIB to diversify its sources of high-voltage energy supply and make substantial savings by consuming locally and outside the electricity exchanges. This new contract should save STIB between 4 and 7 million euros over five years.
A major campaign to replace rubbish bins in all metro and premetro stations began in May 2023. The new units feature three clearly marked sorting bins, meet safety standards and blend harmoniously into the station environment thanks to their elegant design. STIB already installed 300 selective sorting units in 2023. By early spring 2024, 552 sets of bins had been made available to passengers.
Rather than throwing away old equipment it no longer needs, the STIB started upcycling. In particular, it has recycled scraps of fabric that covered old bus seats and furniture in poor condition to create 130 new retro-look chairs for use in the offices. This project was carried out entirely by the STIB, thanks to the work of its upholsterers.
The STIB webshop is packed with upcycled items made from scraps of leather or construction site tarpaulins, for example. In collaboration with L'Ouvroir, a Brussels-based company specialising in adapted work, the old orange validators have been given a new lease of life as key boxes. To mark the sale of the last of these validators, ordinary and extraordinary artists have transformed them into works of art. Brought together for the "Art Inclusif & Upcycling" exhibition at the Bourse from 25 November to 3 December, works by artists with special needs stood side by side with those by renowned artists, all united in the same commitment to upcycling and inclusivity.
In addition to these one-off initiatives, STIB has made the recovery of materials an integral part of its day-to-day operations. One example of this is at the tram 10 worksite in Neder-Over-Heembeek. Unused materials are recovered for reuse at a later date. Other points that received particular attention during this project were water management, to maximise infiltration into the ground, and biodiversity. For example, amphibian ladders were installed in the drainage channels. Some 7,500 m2 of landscaped drainage channels allow water to penetrate the soil. These collect rainwater, which can then seep into the ground to feed the water table. Where it was not possible to provide permeable zones, 5,000 m2 of drainage pads were installed under cycle paths or parking areas. These underground systems mean that water does not return to the sewer system, but infiltrate into the soil.
Since May 2023, STIB has been working with Recyclo to collect organic waste at six of its sites. The Brussels-based cooperative uses a cargo bike equipped with eight bins at the front and eight bins on a trailer at the rear. Each bin has an average capacity of 30 kg, so the bike can carry up to 480 kg. The collected waste is then transformed into compost in the Brussels Region.
Since May 2023, STIB has been working with Recyclo to collect organic waste at six of its sites. The Brussels-based cooperative uses a cargo bike equipped with eight bins at the front and eight bins on a trailer at the rear. Each bin has an average capacity of 30 kg, so the bike can carry up to 480 kg. The collected waste is then transformed into compost in the Brussels Region.
In 2024, STIB plans to extend Recyclo's organic waste collection to the Atrium and Haren sites.
Artist Anthea Missy created a participatory fresco at Bockstael station. Over five days, passers-by and travellers alike were able to observe her work live and watch as her colourful artwork gradually came to life. The project involves the resale of the artwork after a minimum of one year's exhibition in the station, with the proceeds going to a women's rights organisation. This initiative is also part of a drive to give more space to works by female artists on the STIB network.
STIB recycles computers it no longer needs, with a view to helping both the environment and society. Once refurbished, they are given to socially disadvantaged groups. This approach enables the recovery of equipment that is in good working order but no longer meets in-house needs. STIB donated 337 computers in 2023.
A second aspect of this initiative is the organisation of digital inclusion workshops. Around 60 of these took place last year. One of the aims of these workshops is to introduce disadvantaged groups to the use of STIB's digital tools, with a view to promoting learner mobility.
STIB offers fun, creative and participative activities in its stations. To do this, it works with local associations through calls for projects. The objectives are manifold:
STIB temporarily makes empty premises in stations available to associations to create a connection between public transport and society in general. In 2023, the non-profit association Kongo services occupied premises in Bockstael station. It organised a range of activities in this meeting and exchange space: awareness-raising and prevention workshops, cultural, artistic and digital inclusion activities, drop-in centres, literacy courses and a prevention workshop on homelessness.
In 2024, the non-profit association Mix-Up will occupy a space at Rogier station with a Webradio project. This community radio station offers media education workshops produced and recorded by young people.
73 surface stops were made accessible in 2023, including 45 bus stops and 28 tram stops. Raising platforms and adding fusible edges at tram stops allows passengers to easily board and disembark, whether in a wheelchair, with a stroller or with luggage. These stops also have tactile pathways to guide the visually impaired.
The STIB network has over 2,000 surface stops, 60% of which are accessible. STIB works with Brussels Mobility, the Region, the municipalities and the Werkvennootschap in Flanders to make its network more accessible. In 2024, STIB will continue its work to make surface stops accessible, with around 70 new accessible stops.
In the event of a detour, the stop may have to be moved to a location not normally intended for this purpose. While a temporary stop plate can easily be added, comfort is not necessarily guaranteed. To remedy this, the STB has launched an initiative to improve comfort while waiting at temporary stops.
Using interlocking blocks, it is now possible to create a platform that makes temporary stops accessible to PRM. Ten temporary stops benefited from these improvements in 2023.
STIB offers assistance in stations for customers with reduced mobility and for school groups. Multimodal agents accompany passengers with specific needs between the two stations of their choice. STIB has reviewed its system and made several improvements, including:
The French Community Commission (Cocof) organises accompanied transport for special education pupils in Brussels. When it faced a shortage of private bus drivers in 2022, it asked STIB for help.
Thanks to appropriate training for Cocof supervisors, some 80 pupils who previously travelled on special transport now have access to the regular STIB network, which transports thousands of other children to school every day by bus, tram and metro. To ensure that journeys run as smoothly as possible, children and supervisors wear fluorescent vests and always ride at the front of the vehicles so they are easier for drivers to spot.
This solution also offers other advantages. The children learn autonomy on public transport, as they validate their MOBIB card and learn how to behave in the vehicles. They are no longer stuck in traffic jams on a school bus, arrive at school faster and get to know the network better.
Understanding the constraints and possibilities of other road users makes it possible to better anticipate their movements and thus contributes to greater safety. With this in mind, STIB and Pro Vélo organised meetings between drivers and cyclists.
The 'switch a wheel' project started in 2022. The programme for 2023 included six exchange and training sessions between the STIB training centre and cycling associations. These meetings led to three awareness-raising videos.
Sometimes, a picture is worth a thousand words, especially in traffic, where it is important to understand information at a glance. To increase safety around its buses, STIB has affixed stickers to their sides. These stickers indicate danger zones, more specifically blind spots and offsets at the rear of articulated buses. The objective is to protect more vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists in particular, and inform them of potential risks.
Vandalism is not only costly for STIB, and therefore for taxpayers and passengers, it also undermines the sense of safety on the public transport network. To limit the number of acts of vandalism that occur at night, the Corporate Security Office (CSO) has stepped up security measures in vehicle parking and storage areas. This has reduced the number of intrusions and therefore acts of vandalism such as graffiti on buses, trams and metro trains.
STIB works with a number of associations and the police to ensure that homeless people are properly taken care of, in an attempt to find them appropriate, safe accommodation with the necessary sanitary facilities. Set up in 2023, the SubLINK project brings together various players in the voluntary sector to strengthen their prevention and support work on the STIB network. In addition, the Brussels government has granted a budget to STIB so that it can launch a project that focuses on both safety and society. STIB plans to create a new team in 2024. It will be present on the network 24/7 and entirely dedicated to organising patrols and guiding homeless people towards the appropriate reception structures. STIB will also increase the number of safety patrol officers in stations by 30%, and step up their missions at the start and end of the night - critical times for passengers and STIB's infrastructure.
FOR THE BEST EXPERIENCE
ROTATE YOUR PHONE