Our tips

Tips to travel with STIB-MIVB public transport

Advice number 1: Arrive at your stop 3 minutes ahead of time

Missing your bus, tram, or metro can be frustrating. But no worries: most of our lines operate 7 days a week, from 5.00 am to midnight. So, there’s always another vehicle on the way. Still want to be sure to get to your destination on time? Get to your stop a few minutes early.

Did you know?

Advice number 2: Raise your hand to board

If you want a bus or tram to stop at your above-ground stop, give the driver a signal. There's no need to wave a white handkerchief like you're singing along to Les Lacs du Connemara. Simply raise your hand. Metros and underground trams automatically stop at every station.

Tram and bus drivers aren’t required to stop at every stop. Do you want to get off? Press the stop button in time so the driver doesn’t skip your stop. Metros stop at every station.

A few tips

3. Validate every journey

To enter or exit a vehicle or station, you always need a valid transport ticket. You can use a MOBIB card, a digital ticket, contactless payment or a paper ticket. With your transport ticket in hand, it only takes 2 seconds to validate. Travelling without a valid ticket or season ticket will cost you a lot more.

Advice number 4: Change vehicles smoothly

If you're switching from one vehicle to another, always validate your transport ticket. This also applies when you board a vehicle from another transport company (De Lijn, SNCB-NMBS, or TEC). Within 60 minutes of your first validation, you can make one or more connections.

Advice number 5: Always hold on in the vehicles

Did you successfully board? Always hold on when you’re standing. Sometimes our drivers may have to suddenly brake or swerve. Holding onto the poles and handrails will keep you from falling, bumping into other travellers, or getting hurt.

Advice number 6: Always give way

Trams always have priority. For two reasons: first, their size and weight make their braking distance four times longer than that of a car. Second, they run on tram tracks, so they can’t swerve to avoid someone crossing the tracks unexpectedly.

A bus has priority when it leaves a stop. As soon as the driver signals with the indicator, overtaking the bus is not allowed. Be particularly careful if you're riding a bike or kick scooter: buses are long vehicles. If the driver hasn't noticed you, they could signal and start moving before you’re done overtaking.

Our tips

On the same subject