Belgium has four different public transport companies for anyone who wants to travel without a car — and each one works differently in terms of accessibility, reservations and fares for people with a disability. In this master guide we lay it all out: NMBS (Belgian Railways) for the train, De Lijn for Flemish bus/tram, STIB for the city of Brussels, and TEC for Wallonia. For anyone who wants to combine them — e.g. train to Antwerp + tram into the city centre — there are a few practical pitfalls we'll highlight.
🚆 NMBS — the train
The backbone of Belgian public transport for longer distances. Not all stations are equally accessible, and assistance usually has to be reserved in advance.
What works well
- 24/7 stations with assistance in: Brussels-South/Central/North, Antwerp-Central, Ghent-Sint-Pieters, Liège-Guillemins, Bruges, Leuven, Charleroi-Sud, Mechelen, Hasselt and around 70 other stations. At these stations, assistance is available at any hour without prior booking — handy for unexpected travel plans.
- 24h assistance request for other stations: call +32 2 528 28 28 or use the online assistance form at least 24 hours in advance.
- Accessible trains: newer M7 train sets have a lowered entry, wheelchair spaces and adapted toilets. Older trains often require a mobile ramp placed by staff.
- Free companion: a person with a disability travels with a free companion (request the card via an NMBS office or online).
Practical pitfalls
- Book assistance at both your boarding station and your destination station. Some travellers only book the boarding station and find no one waiting at arrival to place the ramp.
- For IC connections between non-24/7 stations: have intermediate stops noted in the reservation — otherwise transfers won't be prepared.
- For more details on reserving assistance and accessible train stations we have separate guides.
🚊 De Lijn — Flemish bus and tram
Flanders' bus and tram network (no metro). De Lijn is steadily renewing its fleet towards fully low-floor transport.
What works well
- Low-floor trams in Antwerp, Ghent and along the Coast Line — boarding at the same height as the platform (at adapted stops).
- Low-floor buses on practically all urban routes. On these buses a wheelchair user can board via the second door, where there is a fold-out ramp.
- Coast Tram: fully low-floor, connects 67 km of coastline between De Panne and Knokke. Adapted boarding at every stop.
- Disability fare: reduction of up to 50% or free travel — ask De Lijn about the options based on your health insurance fund or VAPH status.
Practical pitfalls
- Not every stop has a raised platform. For trams: a low platform requires a ramp placed by the driver — not all drivers are equally skilled at this. Ask specifically.
- Check adapted stops in advance via the De Lijn app or website — stops with a wheelchair pictogram are reliable, others not.
- Express bus services (SnelbusvanrechtsToegankelijk) are intercity buses that are sometimes NOT low-floor — check in advance.
- For an Antwerp city trip or Ghent city trip: the urban tram lines are usually well usable.
🚇 STIB — city of Brussels
Brussels-Capital Region — metro, tram and bus. Separate company with its own fares and its own app.
What works well
- Metro with lift: practically all 69 metro stations have a lift and/or ramp. The STIB accessibility map shows the status per stop.
- Low-floor trams on the most central lines. Older trams are being phased out.
- Buses are nearly all low-floor.
- NoctisBus (night bus) is fully low-floor.
- Disability fare: free Mobib card for people with a disability and their companion via the STIB office.
Practical pitfalls
- Broken lift = station out of service. The STIB app shows real-time lift status — use it BEFORE you set off. Sometimes an alternative metro stop 500m further on is the best backup.
- Trams: not all stops are wheelchair-accessible. Filter on the STIB website by the wheelchair pictogram.
- To/from Brussels-Central/-South station: use metro line 1 or 5 with lift, or pre-metro line 3/4 — not the older tram lines that may still have high entry.
🚌 TEC — Wallonia
Bus and tram for the whole of Wallonia (no train, no metro except in Charleroi). Lagging behind on renewal.
What works well
- Charleroi pre-metro: partly low-floor, with lifts at most stations. Connects Charleroi-Sud station with the urban core.
- Low-floor buses on urban routes in Liège, Namur, Charleroi, Mons, Tournai. In the countryside, high-entry buses are still frequent.
- Disability fare: reduction or free travel via the TEC office with a disability card.
- Walloniabus (long-distance): newer vehicles are low-floor.
Practical pitfalls
- Rural Wallonia: older buses with high entry are still frequent. Call TEC before you set off on +32 81 25 35 55 to ask which line/time slot has low-floor vehicles.
- Liège tram (under construction 2026): will transform the city of Liège — most likely low-floor, but ask about PMR status when it opens.
- For a Mons city trip or Liège city trip: combine with taxi or station-to-station, don't rely on TEC alone for distances outside the centre.
How do you combine train + tram/metro?
The typical international or national trip looks like this:
- NMBS train to a major city station
- Metro/tram within the city to your destination
Three scenarios
Brussels-Central to the Atomium (TOP-accessible):
- NMBS train to Brussels-Central (24/7 assistance)
- Metro line 6 towards Heysel, all stations with lift
- Atomium stop (terminus 6), step-free
Antwerp-Central to MAS:
- NMBS train to Antwerp-Central (fully accessible)
- Tram 10 or 11 (low-floor) to Eilandje
- 5 min walk on flat ground to MAS
Liège-Guillemins to Place Saint-Lambert:
- NMBS train to Liège-Guillemins (24/7 assistance)
- Low-floor tram (under construction 2026, otherwise bus 1/4/9)
- Step-free Place Saint-Lambert
Fares and passes for people with a disability
NMBS offers a free companion card to people with a disability of ≥ 12 points and/or a medical certificate. Apply via an NMBS office or online.
De Lijn / STIB / TEC each have a reduction or free Mobib card:
- Apply via your health insurance fund or VAPH status
- Brussels: STIB Mobib via stib-mivb.be
- Flanders: De Lijn card via your health insurance fund
- Wallonia: TEC card via your health insurance fund or CAWaB
Eurail/Interrail: people with a disability get a reduction on international tickets via the NMBS station office.
Apps you'll need
- NMBS (app) — book assistance, real-time info, station info
- De Lijn — bus/tram times, line info, PMR pictogram filter
- STIB — metro/tram times, real-time lift status
- TEC — bus times Wallonia
- Google Maps — combines the four for multimodal trip planning (often shows the wheelchair pictogram at adapted stops)
A single all-in-one PMR app for the whole of Belgium unfortunately does not exist. For frequent travellers: Google Maps is the best general tool to look up connections, after which you verify on the operator's specific app.
Practical tips for multimodal trips
Plan with a buffer. Build your trip plan with 15 extra minutes per transfer as far as assistance is concerned. A too-tight transfer time is a major stress factor.
Reserve NMBS assistance 24-48h in advance, even at 24/7 stations. During peak times (summer Friday evenings, festival weekends) staff buffer is limited.
Check lifts in advance. The STIB app shows real-time lift status. For NMBS stations the station status page on belgiantrain.be works well.
Call the station if assistance is late. At large stations there is a direct number on the assistance confirmation email — not the general NMBS line.
Always carry your disability card — for checks, fare reductions and on-the-spot assistance requests.
Rural Wallonia: combine with a disability taxi (your health insurance fund may reimburse) — don't always rely on TEC alone for remote destinations.
In closing
Belgian public transport with a wheelchair is far from perfect — four different systems, fragmented apps, and big differences between countryside and city. But with the right preparation, a car-free city trip is possible today in Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent, Liège and the Coast region.
The biggest tip: plan and reserve in advance, and keep a buffer. The technology and infrastructure improve every year, but the system is not yet as predictable as, say, a standardised Mercure chain hotel room.
Do you have experience with public transport in a specific region not mentioned here? Let us know — first-hand info helps enormously for the next traveller wanting to make such a trip.