What do STIB’s 2025 figures mean for getting around Brussels?
STIB’s 2025 annual reporting gives Brussels residents, commuters and visitors a practical signal: the network remains heavily used, payment is becoming easier, and public transport is still central to daily life in the capital, even if works, strikes and budget pressure continue to affect reliability. The operator recorded 396.1 million journeys in 2025, just under the 400 million voyages 2025 threshold and 1.4% below 2024, while its cost coverage rate improved to 29.5%. For people living in Brussels communes such as Ixelles/Elsene, Schaerbeek/Schaarbeek, Anderlecht or Woluwe-Saint-Lambert/Sint-Lambrechts-Woluwe, the takeaway is simple: use STIB/MIVB for routine city trips, keep a MOBIB or bank card ready, and check disruptions before relying on tram corridors affected by works.
For daily users, the figures help answer a practical question: is Brussels public transport still a reliable default for work, school, errands, nightlife and airport-linked trips? The answer is broadly yes, but with caveats. Metro and bus use strengthened, tram figures were held back by works, and the STIB says off-peak, weekend and holiday travel are growing. That matters for people whose routines no longer fit a classic office commute. If you work hybrid in the European Quarter, study near ULB/VUB, live in Molenbeek/Sint-Jans-Molenbeek or commute from a neighbouring gemeente, you should plan around a network used throughout the day, not only at rush hour.
STIB, formally the Société des Transports Intercommunaux de Bruxelles and in Dutch MIVB, is the Brussels-Capital Region’s public transport operator for metro, tram and bus services. Its 2025 activity and financial reports show near-stable ridership, continued fleet modernisation, higher passenger income and a better ratio between own revenues and operating costs. The story is primarily a Brussels lifestyle and service story: how the figures translate into everyday choices for residents, new arrivals, commuters, students and visitors using the capital’s bilingual public transport system.
Background
Brussels public transport has been reshaped by three overlapping shifts: the post-pandemic change in commuting, the region’s long-term attempt to reduce car dependency, and the slow renewal of tram, metro and bus infrastructure. The 2025 data show that STIB has not simply returned to the old pre-Covid rhythm. Weekend travel is above pre-pandemic levels, off-peak use is rising, and contactless payment has become a mainstream option for occasional users. That reflects a city where public transport is increasingly used for flexible daily life, not only for home-office and home-school journeys.
Impact
Regional — The direct impact is Brussels-wide. STIB covers the 19 communes/gemeenten of the Brussels-Capital Region and connects with SNCB/NMBS, De Lijn and TEC services at hubs such as Gare du Midi/Zuidstation, Schuman, Rogier, Montgomery and Delta. The figures also matter for people in the Vlaamse Rand and Walloon Brabant who use Brupass XL or combine STIB with rail, De Lijn or TEC.
Opposing perspectives
- Daily Brussels passengers
Regular users are likely to read the figures through service quality rather than finance. For them, nearly 400 million journeys show that STIB remains essential, but the key test is whether vehicles arrive on time, connections work, escalators function and works are communicated clearly in both French and Dutch.
- Brussels regional budget officials
The improved coverage rate is useful but does not remove the underlying funding issue. STIB’s operating model still depends heavily on public support, while the region faces pressure to control spending and finance major investments in vehicles, depots, stations and infrastructure.
- Occasional users and newcomers
Visitors, expats and people who use public transport only a few times a month benefit most from simpler payment. Contactless bank-card validation, digital tickets and the STIB app reduce the need to understand every fare product immediately, although Brupass and Brupass XL still require attention for cross-operator travel.
- Accessibility and disability advocates
Accessibility progress is visible in low-floor vehicles, AccessiBus lines and more accessible metro platforms, but the practical experience still depends on lifts, ramps, station layouts and staff procedures working on the day of travel. For wheelchair users or people with reduced mobility, a technically accessible network is not the same as a consistently usable one.