Klaas De Brucker is a transport economist and teaches microeconomics at KU Leuven. Since 1 February, Belgium has launched the breakthrough in intermodality around Brussels with a big drum. The BruPass, one ticket for unlimited transfers between the various transport modes, for example from a NMBS train to the metro or buses from STIB, De Lijn or TEC. The transport economist inquires The morning wondering whether it is such a big breakthrough?
In London you have the Oyster Card, a rechargeable public transport chip card that you can use for any form of public transport. It is very simple, scan the card at the beginning and end of the journey on one of the yellow, round card readers to the right of the entrance gates if you travel by metro, Overground or train. In the bus or tram, you only need to scan the card on the yellow card reader at the start of the journey. When your balance is used up, you can recharge it at any metro, train and Overground station.
The Netherlands goes further and knows the OV-chipkaart. The OV chip card is the means of payment for public transport in the Netherlands. With an OV chip card in your pocket, you no longer have to think about strip tickets or metro tickets. You load the card with a balance in euros or you put a travel product on it, such as a single journey, a monthly subscription for commuting or a route card. The OV chip card has several advantages. This way you can view your travel details online, you no longer have to queue at the counter. You can also easily switch from one mode of transport to another, without having to buy a new ticket first.
You can load both tickets on the same carrier (such as the Mobib card), but they remain separate tickets that increase travel costs. Can such a thing be called a breakthrough in intermodality?
For Klaas De Brucker, the new BruPass is at most a step in the right direction. De Brucker lets in The morning know that if you buy two separate tickets, for example a ten-ride ticket to get to the BruPass zone, you have to jump off the train in the first BruPass station and look for the machine to validate a ride on your BruPass . But you are guaranteed to be late to jump back on the same train to Brussels-West or Central. You cannot validate your BruPass on the train itself, even when entering that BruPass zone.
Also read: On February 1, public transport ticket will become more expensive
