Toulouse and Colomiers: why line 25 buses are often jet lag
Less than a year after its launch, between Colomiers and Oncopole, bus 25 is experiencing frequent delays. Users complain to Tisséo. The Toulouse urban transport operator encountered recruitment difficulties beforehand.
But what is happening on the new line 25, a little less than a year ago? Users complain (with phone calls and sending emails to Tisséo) of various malfunctions on the latest Tisséo, which rests on Colomiers at the Oncopole, and therefore at the Téléo cable car, via Basso Cambo.
“Since September 1, the passage of buses has been quite frequently disconnected from official timetables”, attests Pauline, regular user of bus 25: “Supposed to pass at Oncopôle Lise Enjalabert (direction Colomiers) at 7:31 a.m., then every ten minutes , it happened that it only passed at 7:46 a.m. […] September 1, 7:41 did not pass, nor did 7:51. I had to wait until 8:01 […] Monday, September 19, no 7:31 a.m. or 7:41 a.m. We had to wait until 7:51 a.m. The user is also surprised to see often two buses 25 following each other, the first, late on schedule and crowded, the second empty.
“The drivers told us that they had […] sometimes breakdowns, sometimes a staff problem, or beacons…”, assures Pauline, “the drivers, employed by the company Négoti EPTR Mobilités, do not seem to be well trained: we note on the part of some a lack of knowledge of the route (forgotten stops) and, more embarrassing, risky behavior in a driving situation (headphones on the ears, use of the telephone, etc.). This poor quality of service is absolutely regrettable”, protests the user who also mentions delays or absences of buses on line 6 in Ramonville or on line 81.
Other lines supported
Services would be cut for lack of staff, according to a driver. Due in particular to the growing incivility of passengers, there would be discomfort and absenteeism at Tisséo, with 85 departure requests at the moment. The “mass distribution” would not only affect the RATP…
The Toulouse management prefers to mention “a shortage” of drivers: “We are currently encountering difficulties in recruiting. We are also facing a little absenteeism linked to Covid-19. The frequency of the buses was therefore reduced over a few days. Recruitment and training are underway. Disturbances related to traffic (congestion) and works (Basso Cambo station) may cause delays in the frequency of buses in certain sectors. We apologize to our travelers for the inconvenience caused.