Traveller`s Guide

Traveller’s Guide
Set off on the right foot
www.stib.be
Société des Transports Intercommunaux de Bruxelles
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Summary
GETTING AROUND IN BRUSSELS
p4-8
Welcome to STIB (Brussels Public Transport) • Day, evening and
night lines • Other companies serving Brussels • Going to the
airport ? So are we ! • Quality service guaranteed • Art in the metro
• SYNCRO: So you won’t have to wait for the bus !
ALL ABOUT STOPS
Welcome to Brussels
Brussels is one of the greenest
capitals in Europe, and one of the most
cosmopolitan cities in the world.
It is also the capital of Belgium and
home to many international organisations.
Plenty of good reasons for providing
an efficient public transport network
accessible to all.
p 9 - 10
Locate the stops • Prepare your change or your ticket • Signal to the
driver that you wish the bus to stop • Request to open the doors
• Trams have priority
ALL ABOUT VEHICLES
p 11 - 12
Get on at the front and alight at the back of the bus • A few safety
and user-friendliness tips
ALL ABOUT TICKETS
p 13 - 15
Choose the ticket best suited to your needs • Visit our sales outlets
• Validate your card • Have you lost your pass ?
PERSONS WITH REDUCED MOBILITY
p 16 - 19
Getting on the vehicles • Ask our staff for help • Reserved seats for
you • Stops designed for the partially sighted • Using lifts • Ask for
your minibus
BULKY PARCELS AND OBJECTS
p 20 - 22
Bicycles • Pushchairs • Bulky parcels • Animals
RESPECT FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
p 23 - 24
Selective sorting at the station • Cleaner buses
SOME RULES APPLY TO USING THE METRO
INFORMATION
Let’s move together
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p 25
p 26 - 27
Our website www.stib.be • Our Contact Centre • Our BOOTIK • Our
KIOSK • Lost and found • Call terminals in the station • Metro Police
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Getting around
in Brussels
┋ DAY, EVENING AND NIGHT LINES
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┋ WELCOME TO STIB
1
(BRUSSELS PUBLIC TRANSPORT)
Most of our lines run from Monday to Sunday, 5:00 AM to
midnight. Some lines however are used in the evenings or
on weekends. For more information on our lines, see our
network map or timetables.
The «Société des Transports Intercommunaux de Bruxelles», better known as STIB, is the main public transport
operator in Brussels. Thanks to our underground, tram
and bus lines, our network can take you to the four
corners of the city each and every day.
Other lines run only between midnight and three in the
morning (see Noctis).
Unlike many other cities, STIB trams,
buses and metros form one and the same
network. So you can switch easily from
one to the other with the same ticket.
Timetables : Timetables are posted at each of the 2200
stops of our network. To find out when your tram, bus
or metro will arrive, consult the calendar above the timetable and then see the field with the corresponding colour.
Network map : It contains all our lines and the stops
served. The network map is posted in all metro stations
and at most tram and bus stops.
Noctis, our night bus service. There
are many places to go out in the city
centre. Twenty bus lines run every
Friday and Saturday night from 12:30 AM to 3:00 AM,
leaving from the city centre every twenty minutes, to
bring the revellers back to the four corners of the city.
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┋ OTHER COMPANIES SERVING BRUSSELS
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Other public transport companies also serve the BrusselsCapital region :
┋ GOING TO THE AIRPORT ? SO ARE WE !
4
SNCB (Belgian Rail) : with some thirty stations
in greater Brussels, the SNCB is very complementary to the other networks. The three main
Brussels stations are Brussels South, Brussels
Central and Brussels North.
STIB serves the Brussels airport. Our
Airport Line will take you to the
airport from the European quarter,
right next to the commercial and
tourist heart of the upper town, in
scarcely 30 minutes.
DE LIJN (Flemish Public Transport) : some sixty
bus lines connect the Brussels region with the
main cities of Flemish Brabant.
TEC (Walloon Public Transport) : 6 TEC lines
connect Brussels with its French-speaking
outskirts.
Some tickets are valid on the STIB network and on these 3
companies. Please inquire at our sales points.
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┋ QUALITY SERVICE GUARANTEED
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We undertake to offer you a quality service. Different criteria (information, punctuality, regularity, accessibility,
comfort, cleanliness, fight against fraud, reception, etc.)
are measured regularly by independent observers. Depending on the results, we take appropriate measures to
improve the quality of our service even more. More than
promises, these are real and concrete commitments.
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All about
stops
┋ ART IN THE METRO
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The Brussels metro is a real museum. More than sixty
works of art decorate the platforms and corridors of
the stations, making the network the country’s
largest art gallery, for all genres: paintings,
sculptures, photos, stained glass… and
all materials : from canvas to bronze
and wood to glass via steel. Famous
artists such as Delvaux, Folon and
Hergé have contributed works.
STIB holds the reproduction rights to
these works of art. If you wish to film
or photograph them, you must request
permission from STIB (070 23 2000) or
Bruxelles Mobilité. Such authorisation is also
necessary to photograph vehicles in the station !
┋ LOCATE THE STOPS
1
The STIB network comprises more than 2200 stops. They
are easy to locate thanks to the post and sign indicating
the line and the destination.
Each stop has the timetable of each line that serves it. For
your comfort, some also include a complete map of our
network, a display with how long you have to wait in real
time, or a map of the neighbourhood.
┋ SYNCRO : SO YOU WON’T HAVE
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TO WAIT FOR THE BUS !
When is your tram, bus or metro coming ? With our SYNCRO
service, you can find out how long you have to wait in
real time. Send an SMS to 3993 ( € 0,50 per SMS ) with the line
number and the station or stop name (the first 3 letters
of the stop suffice). You will receive an SMS with the next
2 stops in both directions for the stop indicated.
To avoid yourself having to run after your bus, you are
advised to get to the stop 2 to 3 minutes before the time
announced on the timetable.
┋ PREPARE YOUR CHANGE OR YOUR TICKET
2
To save time at the stops, have your ticket ready. If you
have to buy a ticket from the driver, please prepare the
precise amount if possible. The driver is not required to
change more than € 5.
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All about
vehicles
Only a 1-journey ticket is available in the trams and buses. In an effort to promote advance sales and thus save
time at the stops, this ticket will cost you less if you buy it
elsewhere than on the vehicle. The points of sale nearest
to your stop are indicated in the upper left-hand side of
the timetables.
┋ SIGNAL TO THE DRIVER THAT YOU WISH
3
THE BUS TO STOP
Unlike the metro, which stops in every station, trams and
buses stop only on request. Please signal to the driver in
good time to let him know that you want to get on his
vehicle !
For obvious safety reasons, our drivers can let you get
on and off only at the stops. There is no need to worry,
however, as there are many stops, and the average distance between two tram or bus stops is 400 metres.
┋
4
┋ GET ON AT THE FRONT AND
1
ALIGHT AT THE BACK OF THE BUS
REQUEST TO OPEN THE DOORS
On most vehicles, you control the opening of the doors :
either by pulling handles on the doors (metro), or by pressing the green button on the green strip in the middle of
the door.
Inside trams and buses, indicate to the driver that you
will be getting off at the next stop by pressing the blue
or black button. The light above the doors indicates that
your request has been registered. The doors will open
automatically at the stop.
Warning : The red buttons are alarm signals, and their
misuse is punishable by law.
┋ TRAMS HAVE PRIORITY
Get on the bus at the front door and show your ticket to
the driver. If you do not have a ticket, you can buy one
from the driver. Then, make room for the
other passengers by moving to the
back of the bus and get off at the
rear door(s).
To make it easier for other
passengers to get on and
off, do not remain standing in front of the doors
if you are not getting off
at the next stop.
5
Trams have priority over all users, including pedestrians.
You must therefore always give right of way and refrain
from walking on a pedestrian crossing when a tram is
approaching.
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All about
tickets
┋ A FEW SAFETY AND
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USER-FRIENDLINESS TIPS
Images speak louder than words.
Please present
the exact change
(max. 5 euros)
Validate your
ticket and avoid
a surcharge
Hold tight for
your own safety
STIB offers a variety of tickets. If you use public transport
only on occasion, you have a choice of different tickets.
If you use public transport more regularly, we advise you
to opt for a season ticket.
CCTV
in operation
┋ CHOOSE THE TICKET BEST SUITED
1
Allow passengers
to get off before
boarding
This vehicle
is yours too,
so treat it with
respect
Getting on or off
while the signal
is sounding is not
permitted
No bicycles during
the week from 7 AM
to 9 AM and from
4:30 PM to 6:30 PM
Don’t lean
against the doors
No eating or
drinking
Be polite and give
up your seat
TO YOUR NEEDS
1 JOURNEY : valid for one journey with connection to the
entire STIB* network and to the Brussels DE LIJN, TEC and
the SNCB urban networks**.
10 JOURNEYS : valid for 10 journeys with connection to
the entire STIB* network and to the Brussels DE LIJN, TEC
and SNCB urban networks**.
1 DAY : unlimited access on the entire STIB network* for
one day on the Brussels DE LIJN, TEC and SNCB urban
networks**.
STIB SEASON TICKET : this pass offers you unlimited
access for 1 month or 1 year on the entire STIB network*.
For more information or for other types of tickets better
suited to your needs, go to our website www.stib.be or
to one of our «BOOTIK».
No smoking
* Except on the NATO-Brussels airport section of the Airport Line and on the Noctis
night network, where a special fare applies.
** Only tickets that include the wording «JUMP».
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┋ VISIT OUR SALES OUTLETS
2
BOOTIK : our BOOTIK provide information and the complete range of tickets. A list of BOOTIK addresses is given
on page 26.
┋ VALIDATE YOUR CARD
3
Your card (1, 5 and 10 journeys,
1 and 3 days) must be validated each
time you get on a tram or a bus or when
you enter a metro station. You will find a validating machine at the entrance of each station as well as on
all trams and buses. Not validating your ticket counts as
an infraction.
KIOSK : our quick sales points are situated in metro or
pre-metro* stations. You will find the most common tickets and can also renew your monthly season ticket (a list
of stations with KIOSK is given on page 27).
GO : our ticket vending machines are at your disposal
in all metro and pre-metro stations. You will also find
them at most surface stops. You will find all our tickets
(except season tickets).
If you have opted for a season ticket, you must have it
with you at all times and show it whenever asked by our
staff. If you cannot produce a ticket when asked, you will
be liable for a fine.
IN YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD : most news
agents and department stores also sell
our tickets and enable you to renew
your monthly season ticket.
STIB is gradually introducing a new ticketing system
called «MOBIB». Equipped with a chip card, the MOBIB
card has many advantages : faster validation, the possibility to load different tickets, etc. The MOBIB cards will replace the current magnetic cards. For more information,
go to www.mobib.be.
For more information, go to our
website www.stib.be.
*Pre-metro stations are underground stations served
by trams.
┋ HAVE YOU LOST YOUR PASS ?
4
If you lose your annual pass or customer card, ask for a
duplicate at one of our BOOTIK.
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Persons with reduced
mobility
As a public service undertaking, STIB promotes
accessibility to its network for the largest number
of users, including persons with reduced mobility. More and more metro and pre-metro stations
are being equipped with lifts, with the support of
the Brussels Region.
┋ GETTING ON THE VEHICLES
1
The large majority of STIB buses have a lowered floor.
All new buses are moreover equipped with a ramp that
makes them accessible to wheelchair users.
The stops are also designed to facilitate access for
people with reduced mobility. Thanks to specific
arrangements on nearly all its stops, line 71
is the first bus line accessible for them.
The last trams acquired by STIB
are equipped with a low floor and
access ramps for wheelchairs. All
metros are on the same level as the
platform.
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┋ ASK OUR STAFF FOR HELP
2
Persons with reduced mobility may ask to
be accompanied by our staff. The help
service is available at many stations,
and is geared particularly to disabled
persons who have difficulties getting
on or off an underground train.
How to proceed ? You inform us of your
itinerary by calling 070 23 2000 or you
complete the relevant electronic form on
the Internet. There is no supplement to the fare.
For reasons that everyone will easily understand, it is
strongly recommended to avoid rush hour as much as
possible. The number of wheelchairs per underground
train is limited to one.
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┋ ASK FOR YOUR MINIBUS
6
┋ RESERVED SEATS FOR YOU
3
Some seats are reserved for persons with reduced mobility, pregnant women and the elderly. Please be courteous
and offer these seats to such persons.
┋ STOPS DESIGNED FOR THE PARTIALLY SIGHTED
4
More and more tram and bus stops are fitted with a rubber mat. It enables partially sighted persons to find their
way easier where the bus will stop. This mat is placed on
the ground where the front door of the bus will be.
STIB organises a special minibus, door-to-door
service upon request, for persons who are disabled,
visually handicapped, or with reduced mobility (who are
holders of a valid certificate issued by the Federal Public
Service for Social Security).
The Minibus service is available Monday to Friday, from
6:30 AM to 11:00 PM, though the offer is limited as of
8:30 PM.
Visually handicapped and blind people, with 90% disablement who hold a «national public transport reduction
card» are also eligible for the minibus service. This card is
issued by the Federal Public Service for Social Security, the
Brail League, the Œuvre Nationale des Aveugles and the
Maison des Aveugles.
Persons in possession of a «free accompanying person»
card issued by the SNCB (Belgian Rail) must also pay the
fare for the minibus service.
┋ USING LIFTS
5
Some stations are equipped with lifts,
that make it easier for persons with reduced mobility and for the elderly to
use our stations, but they can be used
by everyone.
Requests for transport can be made to STIB :
By fax : 02 515 23 63
By telephone : 02 515 23 65, on working days from
8:00 AM to noon.
By mail : Service Minibus - Avenue de la Toison d’Or, 15
- 1050 Brussels.
Two working days are needed to organise the itineraries.
STIB will confirm the day before whether the transport
service can be provided.
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Bulky parcels
and objects
┋ BICYCLES
1
You can bring your bicycle on the metro, subject to compliance with certain small rules, however.
You can bring your bicycle on the underground trains every day of the year, provided
there is enough room and that you do not
inconvenience the other passengers.
Bicycles on the metro are STRICTLY
forbidden (except for foldable bicycles
which are considered as parcels) on
working days (Monday to Friday) from
7:00 AM to 9:00 AM and from 4:00 PM
to 6:30 PM.
The driver of an underground train and the
station staff may refuse authorisation to bring a
bicycle on an underground train. Cyclists never have
priority over other passengers. And it is prohibited to
ride bicycles in the metro facilities.
Bear in mind also that bicycles are authorised in lowfloor trams at a rate of one bicycle (in T2000 trams)
or two bicycles (in T3000-T4000 trams) per authorised
access, according to the same rules as for the metro.
To find out the lines served by these trams, contact
us at 070 23 2000 or consult our website www.stib.be
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┋ PUSHCHAIRS
2
You can obviously get on our vehicles with a pushchair.
Here are the public transport police regulations:
• If the pushchair is folded, you can transport it free of
charge;
• If the pushchair is not folded, you must have an
additional ticket for it.
Beyond these official regulations, bear in mind that
space on our vehicles is not unlimited. If there are several
pushchairs already on board, do not try to enter with
yours.
When you are in a vehicle with your pushchair, stand to
the side, so that other users can pass through. Some platforms are designed to accommodate pushchairs.
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Respect for the
environment
┋ BULKY PARCELS
3
You can transport bulky objects in our vehicles, as
long as they do not bother the other passengers.
If your object weighs less than 15 kilos
and can be held on your lap, you can
transport it free of charge. If your object is bulky (maximum 2 objects), but
can be carried by hand, you must get
a ticket per parcel.
Again, it is a matter of common sense. Our
vehicles are obviously not suitable for transporting a greasy chain saw, nor a 3m ladder…
┋ SELECTIVE SORTING AT THE STATION
1
┋ ANIMALS
4
Some dogs can travel free of charge :
• Dogs that can be held on one’s lap, without inconveniencing the other passengers;
• Guide dogs for the blind;
• Police dogs.
Help us to keep the metro and pre-metro stations clean
and to protect the environment. Some stations are equipped with different rubbish bins for selective sorting:
• Blue, for plastic and metal;
• Yellow, for paper,
• White, for the rest.
A ticket is needed for all other dogs, and the bigger ones
must wear a muzzle.
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Some rules apply to
using the metro
┋ CLEANER BUSES
2
STIB attaches a great deal of importance to respect for
the environment. The most recent buses comply with
the most rigorous standards on polluting emissions. The
oldest buses are equipped with particle filters that substantially reduce their polluting emissions.
Another part of the STIB bus fleet consists of more ecological gas vehicles. Furthermore, we collect rainwater
at our installations and use it to wash our vehicles.
© Erasme Station :
architects and engineers
Samyn & Partners.
IT IS PROHIBITED, IN A METRO OR PRE-METRO
STATION, TO :
• Climb down to or to cross the tracks;
• Cross the safety line on the ground before the train has
come to a complete stop;
• Get in or out of an underground train when the closing
door signal sounds;
This brochure is printed on
recycled paper
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• Bring dangerous objects on the vehicles or parcels
which owing to their volume, nature or odour, could
injure, dirty, bother or make passengers feel uncomfortable.
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Information
We are at your entire service to answer your questions.
┋ OUR KIOSK
4
┋ OUR WEBSITE WWW.STIB.BE
You will find our KIOSK at the following stations :
1
• Arts-Loi • Beekkant • Bockstael • De Brouckère
• Delta • Gare Centrale • Gare du Midi • Gare du
Nord • Herrmann-Debroux • Louise • Merode
• Montgomery • Porte de Namur • Roodebeek
• Rogier • Saint-Guidon • Schuman • Simonis
• Stockel
You will find the position of vehicles in real time and
a journey planner, but also network maps, all the
timetables, the complete range of fares, etc.
┋ OUR CONTACT CENTRE
2
You can call us at 070 23 2000 every weekday from 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM (8:00 AM
to 6:00 PM during school holidays), and
on Saturdays from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM
(if phoning from abroad, dial 0032 70 23 2000).
┋ LOST AND FOUND
5
If you have lost an object on one of our vehicles or in one
of our stations, please go to the Porte de Namur metro
station. Our lost and found department is open from
noon to 5:30 PM on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays,
and from noon to 6:00 PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
You can also contact us at 070 23 2000.
┋ OUR BOOTIK
3
• BOOTIK De Brouckère
Rue de l’Evêque 2, 1000 Brussels
┋ CALL TERMINALS IN THE STATION
6
• BOOTIK Midi
Station Gare du Midi
You can contact our dispatching service directly thanks
to terminals situated on the metro platforms and near the
point of sale. However, you must use these terminals only
if your questions are urgent…
• BOOTIK Porte de Namur
Station Porte de Namur
• BOOTIK Rogier
Station Rogier
• BOOTIK Roodebeek
Station Roodebeek
• BOOTIK Toison d’Or
Avenue de la Toison d’Or 14, 1050 Brussels
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┋ METRO POLICE
7
02 274 24 24 : It provides security for passengers, makes
sure that the stations are easy to use, and carries out
preventive controls.
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Editor-in-chief: JP Alvin, avenue de la Toison d’Or 15, 1050 Brussels. Do not drop in the street.
20 WEEKEND BUS ROUTES
UNTIL 3 AM.
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Let’s move together
3/21/08 10:44:49 AM