STIB carried out nearly two million fare checks in 2025, a record as fraud recedes
Brussels public transport operator STIB conducted close to two million passenger fare checks across its metro, tram and bus network in 2025, a record level of control that the operator says has pushed fare evasion down, according to reporting by La Libre and Brussels broadcaster BX1 on 15 July 2026.
Fare revenue funds the frequency, maintenance and expansion of the network that Brussels residents and cross-regional commuters depend on daily. A record year of inspections, and a claimed decline in evasion, signals how STIB intends to protect that revenue base — and shapes the day-to-day experience of nearly every passenger in the capital.
STIB (Société des Transports Intercommunaux de Bruxelles / MIVB in Dutch) is the public transport operator for the Brussels-Capital Region, running the city's metro, tram and bus network. Fare inspection — checking that passengers hold a valid ticket or subscription — is one of its core revenue-protection tools. In 2025 STIB carried out close to two million such checks, a record, which it credits for a fall in fare evasion.
Background
STIB has steadily expanded its inspection and revenue-protection efforts over recent years as ridership recovered and pressure grew to safeguard fare income. The 2025 total of nearly two million checks represents the high point of that trajectory, according to La Libre and BX1.
What to do
Passengers can expect continued visible fare checks across metro, tram and bus lines; travelling without a valid ticket carries a higher likelihood of being controlled.
Impact
Regional — The story is centred on the Brussels-Capital Region, where STIB's metro, tram and bus lines are the backbone of daily mobility for residents and for commuters arriving from Flanders and Wallonia.
Opposing perspectives
- STIB and revenue-protection advocates
STIB argues that intensifying inspections to a record two million checks is a proportionate way to protect the fare revenue that funds frequency, maintenance and network expansion, and that stronger enforcement ultimately serves the paying majority of passengers rather than penalising ordinary travellers.
- Accessibility and passenger-rights campaigners
Advocates for open, low-barrier public transport warn that heavy enforcement can fall hardest on low-income and vulnerable riders, and argue that a headline decline in evasion means little without published data, transparent fine practices and equal attention to reliability problems such as the interrupted tram lines that also erode public trust.
Sources & evidence
- View sourceLa LibrePrimary· lalibre.be· 15 July 2026Retrieved 15 July 2026· today· Dated
- View sourceBX1· bx1.be· 15 July 2026Retrieved 15 July 2026· today· Dated
- View source7sur7· 7sur7.be· 15 July 2026Retrieved 15 July 2026· today· Dated
