Social and societal responsibility

STIB is a responsible business, i.e. a business on which clients can count and which is able to meet its economic, social and environmental challenges and contribute to those of the Brussels-Capital Region.

Economic commitment

Participating in investments

During the period 2019-2028, €6.6 billion of investment is planned for improving mobility in Brussels. For the most part, these large-scale investments will be financed by the annual allocation of investments awarded to STIB by the Brussels-Capital Region and the amounts allocated by the Federal government under the cooperation agreement with Beliris.As a responsible public company, STIB is also expected to help fund these investments, insofar as its resources allow, thanks to the implementation of a savings programme based on a principle of good governance and process optimisation.

6.6 billion in investments
to promote mobility in brussels between 2019 and 2028.

Efficiency and productivity gains

At the end of 2018, STIB launched a new programme to improve its processes, in order to achieve operational savings. The amounts resulting from the gains made are allocated to new investments in mobility in Brussels and to improving the working conditions of staff.The first projects were implemented in 2019. They focus on operational efficiency and cost control, while ensuring the quality of customer service. From 2020 onwards, the Brussels Region will monitor the qualitative and quantitative improvements annually.

Environmental commitment

Increasingly clean vehicles

STIB is continuing to replace and expand its fleet. Electric buses and hybrid buses are ever more numerous on the network. Thanks to this shift towards innovative and more environmentally friendly technologies, travelling by public transport is even more ecological. As such, STIB actively participates in establishing the low emission zone set up by the Brussels Region.Trams and metros are powered by electricity and as a result do not directly produce any polluting emissions. Furthermore, STIB procures its energy from a supplier which is asked to prove - through Guarantee of Origin certificates - that it produces or purchases renewable electricity in quantities equivalent to its consumption.

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A greener business

In 2019, a follow-up audit confirmed the ISO 14001 certification obtained by STIB in 2017 for all its activities. This certification aims to encourage companies to control the impact of their activities on the environment and demonstrate the effectiveness of both the management systems and the continuous improvement of their environmental procedures, in a way that respects legal provision and takes into account the context and stakeholders.STIB continued its work to reduce the ecological footprint of each of its activities. In 2019, initiatives included regular coaching and training of local correspondents to anchor their operational skills, continuation of the boiler and lighting (LED) renovation programme, improvement of the chemicals database and their health and safety data sheets, and a special focus on wastewater treatment systems, the launch of the STIB eco-construction standard on the Marly pilot site, the placement of solar panels on the roofs of several depots, the organisation of information stands on mobility for staff, and the deployment of a communication campaign focusing on the environmental hummingbirds present at the STIB.

Installation of solar panels

Among the initiatives aimed at reducing its ecological footprint, STIB intends to equip the roofs of its buildings with solar panels, via the third party investor mechanism, opting for the SolarClick programme. This programme of the Brussels-Capital Region envisages the installation of 85,000 m2 of photovoltaic panels on the roofs of public buildings in Brussels. Preliminary technical studies have been carried out by STIB to identify roofs suitable for the installation of panels, in terms of orientation, stability and use. Four sites have been selected: Ixelles, Jacques Brel, Marconi and Schaerbeek.At the Ixelles depot, 2,748 photovoltaic panels were installed during 2019. The annual generation of these panels makes it possible to cover 43% of the depot's electricity consumption. This equates to the consumption of 297 Brussels households. More than 1,959 panels will be installed at the Jacques Brel depot in the course of 2020. Proposals have been submitted to the SolarClick programme for the Marconi and Schaerbeek sites.

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100% Green
energy

Energy performance

In its previous management contract, the STIB undertook to reduce its direct energy consumption over the period 2013-2017 by 8.5% compared with 2010, all other things being equal. In its new public service contract, STIB is renewing its objective of reducing energy consumption by 8.5% over the period 2019-2023, at constant activity. STIB's energy consumption includes all the energy vectors (gas, electricity, diesel) used for all its activities (rolling stock and infrastructure).Between 2010 and 2019, STIB's energy performance increased by 17%.

A new lease of life for validation machines

The former orange validation machines, designed for magnetic tickets, were phased out from vehicles and stations in 2016. In 2019, they were given a second life in the form of key boxes. STIB entrusted the transformation of the validation machines to l'Ouvroir, a workshop for adapted work that allows people with disabilities to work. After a successful test phase with just under 300 parts, 1,500 parts will be converted into key boxes. They will join the range of recycled objects that STIB offers for sale on its online STIBstore.Other ideas are under consideration.

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Societal engagement

Responding to social challenges

Although STIB's primary objective is to achieve its mission as a transporter by offering an increasingly high standard of accessible public transport, it also has to deal with a number of social issues on a daily basis.As a responsible business, STIB attempts to deal with these issues and has formed specialised partnerships over the last few years, particularly with stakeholders from associations. It carries out actions targeting different sections of the public, including people living rough or in precarious situations, young people of school age and people with reduced mobility.

From awareness to prevention

The organisation of campaigns aimed at 10 to 18 year olds in schools remains a key way of making children and teenagers aware of the challengers and role of public transport.Since 2018, via its Prevention and Social Cohesion unit, STIB has had a new partner, the non-profit organisation GoodPlanet. Students in the 5th and 6th primary grades participate in "MobXadventure", students in the secondary grades in "MobXperience". The aim of these campaigns is to make students aware of the right behaviour to adopt on public transport, both in terms of safety and civility, as well as the challenges of sustainable mobility. The content of the animations has been adapted and leaves more room for the environment and interactivity. In 2019, through the 180 "MobXadventure" events, 1,210 students in 21 schools and 60 classes were made aware of the importance of this issue. The MobXperience campaign was organised in 6 secondary schools: 81 events were organised to raise awareness among 149 pupils in 9 classes.School-children and students also came to see behind-the-scenes during visits organised by the public relations unit. They got to know more about STIB.

Fostering the emancipation of young people

In 2019, STIB collaborated for the first time with the non-profit organisation TADA, one of whose main objectives is to involve companies in the emancipation of young people in difficulty and to help integrate these young people more effectively into society. TADA offers extra-curricular activities that allow children to learn, while exposing them to the world of work and culture. The ultimate goal is to create a more inclusive society, where everyone is offered equal opportunities to develop.A workshop dedicated to mechanics in all its forms was organised in October. It was an opportunity for 2 technicians from STIB to present and explain the various technical professions within the company to around 60 students, aged between 11 and 15. The backdrop to the presentation was a fun and educational animation, combining theory and practice. In December, a communication workshop was held, this time for children aged 10 to 14 years old, to learn how to implement a communication campaign, through the creation of a poster and a promotional video.

Positive reappropriation of spaces

STIB is working closely with local associations to allow the positive reappropriation of spaces and to combat anti-social behaviour and vandalism in and around stations. In Anderlecht, STIB is working with the non-profit association SAFA, which works in the areas around Aumale and Saint-Guidon stations, and with the non-profit Centrum West in the area around Etangs Noirs station in Molenbeek, with the non-profit association Objectif, in the Bockstael station and with PCS Potiers-Vautour, in the Anneessens district. Young people from its associations participate, for example, in the creation of murals, videos and songs to raise awareness among other young people or in other activities involving STIB employees.STIB's collaboration with the non-profit association Citizenne in the context of the #letsmeetro action has resulted in murals depicting 4 poems. Displayed on the platforms of Ribaucourt station, they aim to surprise travellers and encourage encounters in the Brussels metro.As part of the campaign with PLAN International against gender-based harassment, sketches were performed in stations to raise awareness among passengers.

Alongside the most vulnerable

STIB has strengthened its collaboration with stakeholders from the social sector, to meet the most disadvantaged people on the network and direct them towards the appropriate external structures. It relies on the expertise of professionals in personal assistance to develop projects in the field of drug addiction, health or homelessness. This includes: patrols on the network (Dune, Transit, Street Nurses, Samusocial, etc.), the Médibus (Médecins du Monde and Dune), collecting syringes by users (Dune and Transit), provision of the "Bon Plan" application, which takes up most of the resources in terms of social and medical assistance in the Brussels region, on the terminals of the stations, etc. Training on drug addiction for field workers in contact with the public is also organised.STIB continued its collaboration with Opération Thermos in 2019. This association has been responsible for producing and distributing hot meals for vulnerable people from 1 November through 30 April for more than 30 years. STIB volunteers organised several help-the-homeless evenings, from preparing meals to distributing them and also transporting volunteers and food to the distribution point. In 2019, some 437 STIB volunteers gave up 33 evenings and served 3,129 meals at Botanique Station.

Thermos 2019
=
437 stib volunteers
33 evenings
3,129 meals served to the homeless

25 Accessibus
lines

Network accessibility

Making the network accessible to all citizens is one of the objectives of the Brussels public transport company. STIB is working closely with the Brussels-Capital Region and with the community sector to achieve this.The STIB website offers specific pages that provide a lot of useful information for people with reduced mobility: station accessibility, the most accessible bus lines (AccessiBus principle), station assistance, TaxiBus service, specific transport tickets and, since the first quarter of 2019, the availability of lifts in (pre)metro stations. The availability of lifts, which is still static on the website, is available dynamically, almost in real time, on STIB's mobile app.In 2019, 9 additional bus lines joined the AccessiBus network. This takes to 25 the number of lines displaying information regarding the level of accessibility of each stop: the drivers have been trained in welcoming people in wheelchairs, the infrastructure has been checked throughout the route, the signage at all stops has been adapted and particular attention has been paid to the vehicles' access ramps.

AccessiTram

On the tram network, STIB has initiated a global approach to improve the quality of access for PRM. In 2019, 14 platforms, spread across the network, were raised in places (at the level of the second door of the T3000/T4000 trams) to 31 cm and a fusible edge was installed, reducing the space between the tram and the edge of the platform. Four models from different suppliers were tested. The aim was to draw lessons from this to draft specifications and roll out this system on the tram network from 2021.In the meantime, all new tram stop overhauls have been designed with a height of 31 cm and are ready to be fitted with fusible edges. At the same time, new bulges will be installed under the second door of the T3000 and T4000. The entire fleet should be equipped by mid-2020. The combination of these new bulges and the fusible edges will significantly improve the accessibility of trams for wheelchair users.Finally, in view of the limited number of stops equipped, the time it will take to adapt the network and the stops whose configuration does not allow significant improvement, STIB has ordered retractable ramps to be installed in the 3000 and 4000 trams, for the people who need them.