Lhe Walloon Minister of Mobility François Dequesnes responded to criticism following the announcement of the end of almost free TEC for 18-24 year olds.
“Do you know how this quasi-free allowance for this age group was financed in 2024? By the annual TEC allocation? No, most of the cost was financed by the Wallonia Recovery Plan. So not through structural financing, but through a one-off recovery budget: 31 million in 2023 and again in 2024 for 30 million,” Minister Desquesnes replied.
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“Even stronger”
“Even stronger: as the envelope was insufficient – there was only a total of 42 million in project 82 of the recovery plan – we had to find an additional 19 million euros to pay for this gift. And where did my predecessor – Ecolo Philippe Henry, editor’s note – find them? In another project of the Recovery Plan dedicated to the reconstruction of regional infrastructure affected by the floods of July 2021: roads, structures (bridges and tunnels), storm basins and waterways,” he added. .
At the same time, the public service contract of the OTW, the transport operator of Wallonia, which entered into force on January 1, 2024, only mentions an “indicative multi-year funding trajectory per mission”. “This extract leaves me speechless: the commitments signed by my predecessor are therefore not covered budgetarily. It is a catalog of beautiful promises covered by a wooden check made to the OTW,” the minister further denounced.
No decision made
However – and even if the TEC reports show a stagnation in the number of passengers while almost free travel for 18-24 year olds was expected to boost bus attendance – no decision has yet been taken in this matter, reaffirmed François Desquesnes.
The measure must in fact be evaluated “without taboo or a priori” before deciding – or not – to make it permanent. “I am doing what Philippe Henry never had the courage to do: putting things on the table and analyzing them based on factual elements,” he summarized.
This evaluation is ongoing. “Based on what the OTW sent me, I sent him additional questions, which I expect to hear back soon. I will then present the results to the government and the overall report will be sent to the members of this commission,” concluded the minister.
