Highest passenger numbers since pandemic started
More and more people are using public transport. Belgian rail and the Brussels local transport company MIVB have seen passenger numbers rise again after the corona crisis. Fewer people are homeworking and more and more people are going into the office.
State-owned Belgian rail company carried 78% of its usual pre-corona passenger numbers last week. “It’s the highest number since the start of the pandemic” says spokesman Dimitri Temmerman. “People are more on the move and are once again opting for public transport.”
During the March 2020 lockdown the NMBS carried 10% of its usual passenger numbers.
The Brussels local transport company MIVB too is seeing higher passenger numbers and this is most noticeable on the metro, the Brussels tube network. An Van hamme: “The number of passengers on the metro totalled 67.2% of pre-corona levels last week. It’s the highest rate since the start of the pandemic.”
In Brussels homeworking is still recommended and this is noticeable on the Brussels local transport network, where journeys between home and workplace are still well down on pre-pandemic levels. The new academic year in higher education too still has to start, but it’s clear more and more people are today using public transport during their leisure.