janisj

I'm staying 3 nights in Stavelot southeast of Liege. Apparently TEC provides bus service in that region of Belgium. I wasn't going to rent a car because one full day I'll be on a tour with a private driver/guide, and there are easy train connections from Liege/Brussels. Since I'd really only need a car for one full day I thought just using local buses would work.

Other regions of Belgium do have English sites/info but I can't seem to find any in English for TEC. Even just a bus route map would be helpful.

Any ideas?

janisj

ttt

Anyone have info/ideas ?

Thanks

pariswat

Learn french.

hetismij2

On the TEC website if you click on plan du réseau you can view PDF route maps.
They don't offer their website in English (or Dutch!) and I haven't found anywhere which covers all Belgian public transport like the 9292 does in the Netherlands.

Odd that they don't offer more than French and German on their site. De Lijn offers four languages.
The annoying thing is that according to an EU site I found Infotec does offer an English site, but it gives an error when I click on the link.

Hopefully Tulips or Miriam will see this and can offer more help.

Tulips

Typical for Wallonie: everything only in French. You wouldn't believe how many people I meet from that part of the country who speak only French and nothing else; even many kids speak hardly any English.

The site, though in French, is pretty straightforward.
https://www.infotec.be/fr-be/medepla...3%A9raire.aspx

You put in a 'depart' and 'arriver', it gives a drop down menu to choose locations from. It then tells you the bus number, departure time and how long it will take.

Tulips

I probably mentioned this before, but April 22nd is a national strike. Could still be averted, but it's likely that there will be no public transport that day.

pariswat

'Typical for Wallonie: everything only in French.'

Yup. Last time I was in het zwyn, someone had covered all french translation to leave it only in Flemish.
When in Zaventem, I never speak Flemish - you'd be amazed to realize the poor level of french spoken there.
Welcome to Belgium and its never ending community problems.

It is 'arrivée' not arriver.
mvg.

bilboburgler

'Typical for Wallonie: everything only in French.'

Comes of forcing two bits of two different countries into one country. I used to visit businesses in the place and we had to meet at the "border" to swap salesmen.

Still what a place to hide tax, makes Luxembourg look almost straight.

pariswat

'Comes of forcing two bits of two different countries into one country'

But it worked and could work if some politicians would stay out of it. There are a lot of things we have in common - we like food, fun, we are welcoming, uncomplicated etc. We can stand the same bloody weather.
When we put our differences in common we can make great things. When we look at what separates us we just get the worst of it...
Bah. Will have a ber tonight - a wit van Brugge or a Hoegaarden. Or maybe my french half will take over and I'll uncork a good côtes du Rhône. Who knows.
A beer and wie would be too much - was in a great pub wed night, must still recover...

Christina

I've never seen an American bus schedule website that had any language other than English. Certainly not where I live, even though there are many Spanish speakers here.

janisj

>>I've never seen an American bus schedule website that had any language other than English. Certainly not where I live, even though there are many Spanish speakers here.<<

Well -- Where I live the transit schedules are published (both on-line and paper) in Spanish, Chinese, and Russian among others. But more to the point -- most other European transport websites I've looked at have an English option. Just not this one.

Thanks tulips and hetismij2 - that helped.

janisj

>>I probably mentioned this before, but April 22nd is a national strike. Could still be averted, but it's likely that there will be no public transport that day.<<

Oh crap Just noticed that.

That is the day I'm supposed to train from Brugge to Trois-Ponts. Oh well. If there IS a strike I'll call the hotel and let them know I'm arriving a day late (will pay for the missing day if I must) . . . and if there is a strike some won't be able to get to Brugge so I can likely extend a day at <i>that</i> hotel.

Tulips

I'll let you know in case the strike gets cancelled, but it seems unlikely. Only one of the unions has called it, but it doesn't need much to shut down the railways. They block a few main junctions and that's it. People here are getting pretty annoyed about it.

pariswat

Bonne idée.

Perso, je n'avais pas entendu parler du tout de cette grève.
A priori, seule la CGSP (La CGSP est une branche de la FGTB, qui regroupe 1,5 millions d'ahérents ?) veut faire grève et indique qu'elle fera grève même si les autres ne suivent pas.


La CGSP espère convaincre les autres syndicats d'ici là.

La CGSP espère que d’autres syndicats se joindront au mouvement.

'Le soir - 12 mars ' :
Mais la CGSP veut aller plus loin. « Nous avons décidé d’une journée de grève le mercredi 22 avril », a expliqué à Sudpresse, Roland Vansaingele, secrétaire général de la Centrale générale des services publics. « Nous allons le proposer à nos partenaires du front commun. Mais s’ils ne nous suivent pas, nous sommes décidés à mener cette action seuls. Cela s’ajoutera à la concentration de militants, qui est déjà prévue en front commun jeudi prochain, le 19 mars ».

Tulips

Hi Janisj, there is strike on April 22nd. Not all unions are participating, but public transport will be severely disrupted. That goes for Thalys through Belgium as well.