Brussels (The Brussels Morning Newspaper): At the 11th European Tramdriver Championship in Frankfurt, MIVB drivers Ilham Ouamass and Adil Saadi secured 2nd place with 3,800 points, just 50 points behind Budapest. Ilham was named ‘best tram driver.’
The 11th European Championship for tram drivers happened on 15th September in Frankfurt, Germany. It has been said that This yearly event brings together the best tram drivers from different European cities to compete in challenges that test their driving skills, accuracy, and knowledge about how trams work.
What is the European Tramdriver championship and how did Brussels perform in 2024?
This year, the Brussels public transport company, MIVB (STIB), sent two drivers, Ilham Ouamass and Adil Saadi, to represent Brussels in a competition with teams from 25 other cities. The contest has tasks like stopping at the right spot, controlling speed, and avoiding obstacles, showing how skilled tram drivers need to be. The event is like real tram driving and helps drivers share tips and celebrate their important role in public transport across Europe.
In this competition, 52 tram drivers took part in different skill challenges to see how precise and controlled they could be. One challenge asked them to stop the tram as quickly as possible at a specific spot, simulating sudden stops they might need to make in real life. They mentioned that this showed how well they could make quick and safe stops. Another challenge was tram bowling, where drivers used the front of the tram to push a big bowling ball and try to knock down as many pins as they could. This required them to carefully move the heavy tram to hit the most pins.
Last year, Brussels came in 11th place, but this time the public transport team did much better. With their coach, Marc Coudyser, they finished in 2nd place with 3,800 points, just 50 points behind Budapest, the winner. Ilham was named the ‘best tram driver in Europe.’ The MIVB was really proud of their workers and shared it on social media. Coudyser believed in his team because they are used to driving in the busy city and have a lot of training, which some other companies don’t have.
