Disability council condemns Stib's reduced taxibus service

The Brussels Council for People with Disabilities (CPH) is calling on the Brussels region and its public transport operator Stib to reinstate a full taxibus service, following the announcement in July of a 30% reduction to these journeys.

The group demands prompt action to rectify the situation, which it argues will mean 23,000 fewer journeys for the 3,000 current users.

Stibs offers €1.90 taxi or minibus rides for people with reduced mobility but recently added a cap of 60 rides per user per month.

The CPH has called for an immediate moratorium on journey restrictions and new booking rules; the integration of all existing services; maintaining the door-to-door principle, essential for many people with disabilities; and a firm budgetary commitment from 2026 to ensure the sustainability of the taxibus service.

The group is calling for “immediate action to preserve this vital service and guarantee fair and accessible mobility for all,” the CPH said.

The organisation further criticises the current conditions where "booking a journey has become almost impossible, especially during rush hour".

"Digital exclusion is exacerbating the situation," the group added. "The booking website is inaccessible to many people with disabilities, who are forced to call by telephone when online places are already full.”

By reducing access to the taxibus service, the region is also contravening Belgium's international obligations, the CPH added.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities demands equal access to transport, the facilitation of personal mobility, the prohibition of discriminatory restrictions and promotion of social inclusion.

One taxibus user, Christina, told RTBF the situation was a disaster for her autistic son Martin. Every morning, she has to call the Stib service to see if there is a place or not for him.

The options are either that he does not go to school at all or paying individually a €30, one-hour taxi ride. “The Stib has not only reduced the number of journeys allocated a month, but it has cut the number of taxibuses available per day,” she said.

Stib spokeswoman Cindy Arents said that the service was “a victim of its own success”, providing 200,000 journeys last year and going €1 million over budget, a sum it covered itself.

But she said it was impossible to go further given the lack of Brussels government and decision over funding, no matter how much, as Christina said, taxibuses for people with a handicap are “a real necessity”.