Work under 46 degrees. The horror. “It’s a big problem and it’s been going on since June, we’re at the end of it”, delivers a bus driver, employed by the carrier Transdev. The man is affiliated with line 22 (1), “the one that connects Carros to CADAM (2) of Nice “. The fleet of this line seems to have a real problem. “The air conditioning does not work and some buses in circulation do not have up-to-date technical inspection”, continues the driver who wished to remain anonymous. “I am currently working with a vehicle without rear brakes. You imagine? Then with this heat, the passengers complain, become aggressive… For us, drivers who stay 8 hours in it, it’s boring. After two hours, we have lack of attention on the road. It’s dangerous!” He alerted the labor inspectorate. “And I also warned the management of Transdev, but I have the impression that they don’t care. We were told that we were going to receive new buses in September, but we are not going to be able to work everything summer like this!” At the beginning of July, one of the employees became unwell. Fortunately, the bus was at a stop.
“We transport fragile people”
Chérif Badour, driver on line 22 and former union representative at CGT Transport, spokesman for his colleagues with management. “I told him that we will not drive any bus in which there is no air conditioning. Some connections had to be suspended. We are really sorry for the users who found themselves bothered but it was no longer possible. Is this problem recurrent at Transdev? “Non.” He clarifies the situation: “There are eight buses that operate line 22. Transdev has ordered new vehicles but they are slow to come. Health crisis, war in Ukraine… A dealer lent him buses but they are not maintained at all. And Transdev doesn’t want to invest because it’s not its own and it’s temporary. But with the heat wave, it’s unbearable. We’ve been living through hell since June and so are our customers. We’re transporting children and fragile people. Let our leaders come and drive these buses! They are well settled in their office, with air conditioning. We are taking responsibility.” However, Chérif Badour says two new air-conditioned buses have recently replaced older vehicles. “There are three or four left in which it’s the furnace. Two others are at 31 degrees. It’s already more bearable than 46.” He says he warned the Lignes D’Azur network, which subcontracts line 22. “They sent technicians to try to repair air conditioning. And they told Transdev to quickly put the new buses into service.”
(1) The Lignes d’Azur network of the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis subcontracts line 22 to Transdev.
(2) Departmental Administrative Center of the Alpes-Maritimes.
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