In Montpellier, “fighting against incivility on buses is a priority” for Tam and the Metropolis

Un bus de Tam va aller à la rencontre des collégiens, comme ici à Gérard-Philippe, aux Aiguerelles. ML – GR

Si de graves incidents sont survenus sur le réseau de Tam, ces dernières semaines, la Métropole a augmenté la présence d’agents sur le terrain pour lutter contre ce phénomène.

These last few weeks have been difficult for Tam staff, faced with an increase in threats and violence from users (read below). Until a bus driver was severely beaten on March 22, causing many colleagues to stop working and the network to be paralyzed for a good part of the day.

It is tempting to draw a parallel between these numerous cases and the move to free access on December 23. "This is not the case, replies Loïc Messner, general manager of Tam. Concerning incivility and attacks over the first three months of 2024, we are exactly at the same level – 35 cases – that over the same period 2023".

"Acts of incivility affect all networks, not just those that are free, underlines Julie Frêche, vice-president of the Metropolis responsible for mobility. Free transport takes away the stress linked to the presence of controllers. In the 42 networks that have moved to free, we have observed a drop in incivility."

Insults and violence, the black series

Friday February 26, around 7 p.m., a bus driver was insulted and threatened by around ten young people who refused to leave, before stoning the bus.

Monday March 11, two Tam assistance, control and security agents were insulted and threatened with death following an incident on a bus.

Sunday March 17, shortly after 10 p.m., a user took out a handgun and pretended to shoot the driver of a line 1 tram train, which was stopped Saint-Eloi.

Monday March 18, around 6 p.m., a driver of bus line 15 was insulted and spit in the face before receiving a blow, at the Rièges stop, located rue Paul-Rimbaud, between Cévennes and Alco

Friday March 22, in the morning, a line 7 bus driver was hit numerous times by a user. Traffic on 17 bus lines is suspended for part of the day by his colleagues.

Tuesday March 26, around noon, a bus was stoned in the Pierre Cardenal sector, in Hauts de Massanne, causing line 19 to be interrupted in both directions.
 

"Four punch operations per week"

As attendance on trains and buses has increased over the past three months, this assessment was obtained with an increase in staff on the ground. “Since January, the control agents have been present from the first shift, at 5 a.m., to the last shift, at 2 a.m.", he explains.

"We carry out four hit operations per week, both during the day and in the evening, and 150 PV per operation are drawn up on average", adds Julie Frêche.

"Concerning incivility, 82 sworn Tam agents are working on it. For crimes, it is agents of the Metropolitan Transport Police and the police who intervene. We are particularly attentive to insults against an agent, and we become a civil party in each legal procedure. It can go up to 7,500 € fine. We have also gone from 20 to 70 pedestrian cameras which allow video to be activated each time tension rises between control agents and users."

“50 year old people put their feet on the seats”

For a long time, Montpellier has been a model for relations between public transport staff and users. "Drivers who arrived in Montpellier were surprised to see young people say hello or mention forgetting their transport card when getting on the bus, recalls Sébastien, a prevention officer for 18 years. This is due to long work in schools, in neighborhoods, to a presence on buses and trams, too. Raising awareness about incivility is a long-term task.

But the situation slowly deteriorated. "In twenty years, I have seen the number of incivilities increase, testifies Samir, a former driver and prevention agent for 11 years. In recent years, it is no longer just teenagers or young people who commit incivility. Today, we see people aged fifty and over putting their feet on the seats."

And since free ? "People's behavior has relaxed a little further, notes Sébastien. As we no longer take our transport ticket, we tend to no longer say hello. When there is a test, some people have difficulty accepting being caught in front of everyone. The ban on cycling and the obligation to fold your scooter was hard at first but it's starting to get better. On the other hand, there are a lot of fines for the feet on the seats."

"With free access, people believed they could take public transport however they wanted, adds Samir. We had to explain that we needed a free pass, and most did."

"A bus costs 500,000 €"

The elected official insists on the deployment of the metropolitan transport police. "Only three metropolises have it: Montpellier, Nantes and Orléans. And we will have the largest in France in terms of numbers at the end of the mandate."

If "fighting against incivility on buses is a priority", this also involves prevention. The Metropolis and Tam have just launched a campaign to fight against incivility, around four words: "Shush", "No", "Stop" and "Calm".

On bus line 15, “you have to experience it to understand it”

After the attack on a bus driver on line 15 on March 18, a user of this busy line, between Odysseum and Sabines, denounced &quot ;just unacceptable transport conditions" and "an explosive situation".

"Violence is obviously not excusable, especially towards Tam employees who have nothing to do with it and who work in very difficult conditions", she insists in the preamble.

This user observes insufficient rotations given the crowds: "the frequency is only 25 to 30 minutes." According to her, the saturation is such that only part of the public present at the stop can enter the bus. "Some cannot get on and have to wait 25 minutes more, without certainty of being able to get on the next one."

This problem, again according to this user, continues on board. "People standing the entire length of the bus, close to each other, only able to hold on to their neighbor in case of a problem. Each stop is an upheaval with people who absolutely want to get on and those stuck at the bottom who want to get off. You have to experience it to understand it."

This user of line 15 affirms that this situation, on which the Tam would be questioned regularly, has lasted for two years. It calls for the company to “at least increase the frequency on this line during peak hours and to offer suitable transport conditions to its users and acceptable working conditions for drivers who find themselves managing very difficult situations.” complicated and dangerous in the event of discomfort, panic or accident.

At the same time, awareness-raising actions are carried out in colleges, then in the multimodal exchange hubs of the Metropolis. "Good behavior is acquired from a very young age, underlines Loïc Messner. We explain to middle school students that buses and trams are a public good that is paid for by their parents' taxes. When we talk to them about the cost of a bus (500,000 €, and even 900,000 € for an articulated bus), they are very attentive."

"We remind them that it’s important to say hello. The drivers and controllers were often college students in Montpellier and took the bus.

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