De Lijn

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Vlaamse Vervoermaatschappij De Lijn - usually known as De Lijn (in English, The Line) - is a company run by the Flemish government in Belgium to provide public transportation, similar to the way in which Belgian railroads or the postal system is run. It runs 1,942 buses and 305 trams. De Lijn was founded in 1991 after the public transportation companies of two major Flemish cities (Antwerp and Ghent) fused with the Flemish part of the NMVB (Nationale Maatschappij van Buurtspoorwegen, or the National Company of Neighborhood Railroads).

Socialist politician Steve Stevaert of Hasselt implemented a policy allowing senior citizens (ages 65 and up) to ride anywhere in Flanders for free. Other incentives exist for people under age 25. De Lijn is being viewed as an integral part to reduce heavily congested traffic, together with the NMBS (Belgium's railroad provider.)

In 2003, it transported more than 362 million passengers, for an area with a population of approximately 6.5 million.