De Lijn contractor - Gruson Autobus 357131 (4330 P) in Poperinge - 5 Aug 1996

Monday 5 August 1996 (approx. 1850) – Gruson Autobus 357131 (4330 P), a Jonckheere Trans City bodied Volvo B10R-55 new in May 1990, standing in Grote Markt, Poperinge on a pleasant sunny summer evening. It had worked the 1820 De Lijn service 69B from Ieper (due Poperinge 1844) and would return at 1900. It would also work the same trips one hour later, the last runs of the day.

Gruson Autobus works a number of contracts on behalf of De Lijn, the national bus and tramway company of northern Belgium.

De Lijn (Vlaamse Vervoersmaatschappij De Lijn) was created in 1991 from the northern part of NMVB (Nationale Maatschappij van Buurtspoorwegen). The company operates its own large bus and tram fleet which carry four digit fleet numbers but the buses operated by contractors carry six digit fleet numbers – the first four digits relate to the De Lijn contract number with the final two digits are the operators own fleet number.