The number of passengers using Brussels’ public transport facilities in 2011 stood at 329 million – a year-on-year increase of 5.6%.
Nearly half of all journeys made in Brussels today use public transport. 38% of all journeys are made on the metro, 34% on trams, while bus trips account for 28% of the whole.
More than one third of the locals take the tram, the bus or the metro at least five times a week. Less than one fifth of the inhabitants of the capital say that they never use public transport.
Brussels Transport Minister Brigitte Grouwels says that by 2016 the public transport network will be carrying 400 million passengers.
But this progress comes at a cost and the public transport services are asking for a further 1.5 billion euros in addition to its current subsidy to make further major investments. The company plans to expand the existing metro system and to introduce greater automation across its network.
