“We feel alone and cornered in our cabin”: Keolis bus drivers testify after the attack on a colleague

Les chauffeurs ne sont montés dans leur bus que peu avant 10 h. Midi Libre – Kelman Marti

Ce mercredi 5 juin, aucun bus n’a circulé avant 10 h en raison de l’agression d’un chauffeur, la veille.

It’s 7:30 a.m. this Wednesday, June 5. The day is beautiful. But for some Agglo bus users, it is less so. Their driver is not there to take them to their destination. It is elsewhere, at the Keolis Bassin de Thau headquarters, located at the Sète aquatechnical park. The reason ? A walkout from 5:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. so as not to trivialize the aggression of the day before; a 35-year-old driver was grabbed by the collar by a person who did not want to pay his ticket at the "Île de Thau" stop.

Also read: A Keolis driver attacked at dawn, on the Île de Thau: no bus between 5:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. this Wednesday, June 5, in Sète

In the offices, the drivers and other Keolis staff members are almost all there this Wednesday morning. They discuss, debate and remain in shock from the aggression. "A situation with violence like that of Tuesday remains rare for a small network like that of SAM", says Auguste Garcia, dean of SAM drivers with 31 years of experience profession.

"A societal problem"

"The problem has been societal since the end of Covid. Being insulted has unfortunately become commonplace", declare Emmanuel and Delphine, before resuming their duty. "Incivility has increased everywhere in France and not just in Sète. They not only take place on the island of Thau, but also at the station, at the corniche… everywhere in fact", locates Auguste Garcia.

"They are young people, but not only that. There may also be adults and elderly people. It’s a global change in attitude, estimates driver Pascal Hurez, before illustrating it with an example. One time, two young people got on the bus. Pass in front of me. Don't pay. I call on them. They tell me: 'shut up and drive!' I stopped the bus and waited. After five minutes, they came down. In this case, you should definitely not enter into direct conflict with them."

"When someone cheats, I don't say anything anymore because I'm afraid of the reaction they may have to have. I tell him that he will make arrangements with the controller. We feel alone and cornered in our cabin. It’s sad", confides Delphine, according to whom the situation has become similar between male and female drivers, overriding sexist reflections like "she has her rules" or "she is going through menopause".

Support from management and the Agglo

"We couldn't let this attack go. We took this action, in support of the drivers, to demonstrate our fed up and the increase in incivility", explains Jean-François Buisson, director of Keolis Thau basin. "The aggression on Tuesday is unacceptable, so we came with François Commeinhes, president of the Agglo, to show our support for the employees", < /em>adds Norbert Chaplin, deputy delegate for public transport and new mobility policies.