View source for De Lijn

{{Short description|Flemish public transport corporation}}
{{Infobox bus company
| name            = De Lijn
| logo            = De Lijn.svg
| logo_size       = 120
| image           = File:Courtrai 2023-07-20 (2).jpg
| image_caption   = De Lijn's Van Hool A12 Electric bus in [[Kortrijk]] [[Kortrijk railway station|station's]] terminus
| company_slogan  = 
| parent          = [[Flemish Government]]
| founded         = 1991
| defunct         =
| headquarters    = [[Mechelen]]
| locale          = 
| service_area    = [[Flemish Region]] (mainly)
| service_type    = [[bus service]], [[tram]], [[demand responsive transport]]
| alliance        = 
| routes          = 
| destinations    = 
| stops           = 
| hubs            =
| stations        = 
| lounge          = 
| fleet           = 
| ridership       =
| annual ridership = 
| fuel_type       = 
| operator        = 
| ceo             = Ann Schoubs 
| leader_type     = 
| leader          =  
| website         = [https://www.delijn.be www.delijn.be]
}}
[[File:HermeLijn Korenmarkt.JPG|thumb|right|250px|De Lijn tram in Ghent]]
'''Vlaamse Vervoersmaatschappij De Lijn'''<ref>{{cite web |title=De Lijn Disclaimer |url=http://www.delijn.be/disclaimer/index.htm |year=2010 |access-date=March 4, 2011 |publisher=De Lijn |language=nl |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110309102119/http://www.delijn.be/disclaimer/index.htm |archive-date=March 9, 2011 }}</ref> ({{IPA|nl|ˈvlaːmsə vərˈvuːrsmaːtsxɑˌpɛi də ˈlɛin}}, {{langx|en|"Flemish transport company 'The Line{{'"}}}}), more commonly known as '''De Lijn''', is a [[state-owned enterprise]] run by the [[Flemish government]] in [[Belgium]] to provide [[public transport]] with about 2240 buses and 399 trams. De Lijn was founded in 1991 after the public transport companies of [[Antwerp]] and [[Ghent]] merged with the Flemish part of the [[Vicinal tramway|NMVB]] (Nationale Maatschappij van Buurtspoorwegen, or the "National Company of Local Railways").

[[Socialist]] politician [[Steve Stevaert]] of [[Hasselt]] implemented a policy allowing registered residents in [[Flanders]] aged 65+ to ride anywhere in [[Flanders]] free.{{cn|date=October 2022}} This has since been changed to allowing inhabitants aged 65+ to purchase cheap annual passes which are valid throughout de Lijn. For 56 euros, senior citizens can now travel freely as often as they wish. Other incentives exist for people under the age of 25. De Lijn is viewed as an important tool in reducing heavy traffic congestion, together with the [[National Railway Company of Belgium|NMBS]], Belgium's national rail operator.

In 2016, it transported more than 518.8 million passengers in an area with a population of approximately 6.5 million.<ref>{{Cite web|title=De Lijn: revenue 2015–2018|url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/895997/revenue-of-de-lijn/|access-date=2020-09-30|website=Statista|language=en}}</ref>

De Lijn operates:
* The [[Antwerp Tram]]way, with both street running and underground light rail ([[Antwerp Pre-metro]]).
* The [[Ghent Tram]]way, mostly street running with some reserved track.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Public Transport in Ghent|url=https://visit.gent.be/en/good-know/practical-information/getting-around/public-transport-ghent|access-date=2020-09-30|website=Visit Gent|language=en}}</ref>
* The [[Coast Tram]], an [[interurban]] line along the whole Belgian coast, between [[De Panne]] and [[Knokke]].
* All urban, suburban and intercity buses in [[Flanders]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-05-12|title=De Lijn staff threaten to strike over safety rules|url=https://www.brusselstimes.com/news/belgium-all-news/111055/flemish-public-transport-company-de-lijn-threatens-to-strike/|access-date=2020-09-30|website=The Brussels Times|language=en}}</ref> Because of the dense rail network, intercity buses serve as local transport between big cities and smaller communities.  The time taken to travel from one city to another by bus is usually longer than for the same journey on the train because bus lines are less straight, as they pass through many small towns that are not served by rail. The buses are more city-style (no coaches are used). In the [[Limburg (Belgium)|province of Limburg]], where there are few railways, buses are the main mode of intercity travel. There are also express intercity buses there.

Fares are the same on all modes of transport and may be purchased online, from a ticket machine, or contactlessly on the vehicle.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.delijn.be/en/content/vervoerbewijzen/tickets/ticket/ |access-date=2025-08-30 |website=www.delijn.be}}</ref>

De Lijn issues a smartcard called the ''Lijnkaart'' and runs a chain of shops under the name ''Lijnwinkel''.

De Lijn also supports the [[Flemish Tram and Bus Museum]], located in Antwerp and connected to the tracks of the Antwerp Tramway.

==See also==
{{wikinews|Belgian bus company knows solution for car parking problems}}
*[[TEC (transport)|TEC]] – equivalent company in [[Wallonia]]
*[[Brussels Intercommunal Transport Company|MIVB-STIB]] – equivalent company in [[Brussels]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category-inline|De Lijn}}
*[http://www.delijn.be Official website (in Dutch)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100924211317/http://www.delijn.be/ |date=2010-09-24 }}

{{Transport in Belgium}}

[[Category:Public transport operators]]
[[Category:Companies based in Antwerp Province]]
[[Category:Public transport in Belgium]]
[[Category:Mechelen]]
[[Category:1991 establishments in Belgium]]
[[Category:Transport companies established in 1991]]
[[Category:Government-owned companies of Belgium]]