Bus Driver Flexi-Job Abuses Spark Safety Fears in Belgium

Belgian trade unions are sounding the alarm over the abuse of the country’s flexi-job system in the bus and coach sector after a driver reportedly drove a touring car full of tourists to Paris immediately after completing an early morning shift for a De Lijn subcontractor. The case, reported by VRT NWS, has reignited concerns about driver fatigue, inadequate oversight, and the safety risks posed by cumulative working hours across multiple employers.

Context: A System Under Strain

Since 1 January 2024, professional bus drivers in Belgium have been allowed to take flexi-jobs within their own sector, working as drivers for other bus companies on top of their regular employment. The system, originally created in 2015 for the hospitality sector, was expanded to help address a severe driver shortage. By the end of 2025, the employers’ federation FBAA reported 4,158 flexi-job drivers in the sector, helping to halve the driver shortage from 950 to 530.

However, unions have long warned that the system creates dangerous incentives. Drivers working for De Lijn subcontractors — which operate roughly 30 percent of the public transport company’s routes — can legally hold multiple driving jobs simultaneously, but enforcement of the 48-hour maximum working week across all employers relies heavily on self-declaration.

The Paris Incident and Witness Accounts

According to witness accounts collected by VRT NWS, a bus driver working for a De Lijn subcontractor completed an early morning shift and then immediately drove a touring car full of tourists to Paris for a flexi-job at a coach company, returning the same evening. Another colleague reportedly told a witness they “only need 4 hours of sleep per night” to combine their regular job with a flexi-job. At one company, three out of seven rows of drinks in the vending machine are filled with energy drinks.

“I see drivers who work full-time in regular public transport and then flexi-job at coach companies,” said Frank*, a professional trainer in the bus sector who occasionally takes flexi-jobs himself. “But because the schedules in their regular job are already quite full, they are by definition pushing the limits or exceeding them. The problem of flexi-jobs in the bus sector is bigger than we think. We are playing with people’s lives.”

Union Demands for Better Oversight

Unions have been raising concerns since before the flexi-job expansion took effect. In December 2023, ABVV-BTB sent a letter to then-Minister Frank Vandenbroucke calling for mandatory tachograph requirements for all passenger transport vehicles in Belgium. An internal union memo from August 2025 warned that employers may be less strict about driving and rest time compliance for flexi-job workers.

“It’s about a structural system where flexibility is encouraged, but the control mechanisms have not evolved along with it,” said Tom Peeters of ABVV-BTB. The union has been advocating for a digital driver’s card that would track working hours across all employers — a proposal that has not yet been adopted.

Stan Reusen of ACOD-TBM noted that not all drivers take flexi-jobs for the money. “Some do it just to earn a decent income for their family,” he said, pointing out that some drivers are only paid for split shifts covering peak hours and then supplement their income with Uber driving during off-peak times.

Enforcement Gaps

Multiple agencies share responsibility for monitoring working hours, but coordination is limited. In 2025, the FOD Mobility conducted roadside checks on 1,044 buses and coaches, finding 56 violations. However, these inspectors cannot see working hours at other employers. The Labour Inspectorate, which can investigate across employers, conducted 257 investigations in the passenger transport sector, issuing 118 warnings, sending 68 cases to justice, and collecting nearly 500,000 euros in fines.

Pieter Thys of ACV-Openbare Diensten acknowledged the difficulty: “It’s difficult to quantify exactly how big the problem is, because control and registration are inadequate.”

Employers, however, maintain that the system works. “As long as these drivers respect the driving and rest time legislation, there’s nothing wrong,” said Kim Taylor of the FBAA. “The rules are clear.” De Lijn spokesperson Frederik Wittockx added: “We don’t specifically enforce that; we assume everyone is honest.”

Broader Implications

The investigation comes at a critical moment. Belgium’s federal government, led by Prime Minister Bart De Wever, has approved the expansion of flexi-jobs to all sectors starting 1 July 2026, allowing workers to earn up to 18,440 euros tax-free annually. The case provides unions with a powerful real-world example to argue for stronger safeguards before the expansion takes full effect.

Frank Moreels, chair of BTB-ABVV, previously warned that “flexi-jobs are not the solution for bottleneck professions. On the contrary, they make regular employment even more unattractive.”

What to Watch For

As the 1 July expansion date approaches, the key question is whether this case will prompt last-minute regulatory safeguards. The unions’ proposal for a digital driver’s card that aggregates working time across all employers remains on the table but has not gained political traction. Without centralized oversight, the tension between labor market flexibility and road safety is likely to intensify.

Peter and Frank are pseudonyms. Their real identities are known to VRT NWS editorial staff.