“Drivers are paying the high price for free transport”: FO denounces a deterioration in working conditions in transport in Montpellier

Laurent Murcia, FO representative at TAM. Midi Libre – DORIAN CAYUELA

Laurent Murcia, FO union representative at TAM, warns about the lack of reinforcement of the transport offer and the deterioration of working conditions for tram and bus drivers since the launch of free transport in the Montpellier metropolitan area.

What assessment do drivers draw from the free transport introduced a year ago in the metropolitan area? ?

All the lights are red. Except for the passenger load. It's a success with 150,000 more passengers per day. We transport 480,000 to 500,000 people compared to 320,000 in 2019. This represents an increase of 38%. It will continue to increase.

You say that the offer has not been strengthened. However, the new trains will enter service in 2025…

The first trains will arrive in March, two per month, but they need to be assembled, certified and trained. We will start putting the new CAF trains on the extension of line 1 Sud de France at the end of 2025. We have proposed solutions such as reducing the interval from 6 to 5 minutes, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the evening, all week long. In the evening, from 7 p.m., the frequency increases to 10 or 12 minutes. We are able to do this today at TAM.

So why isn't it implemented? ?

They tell us it costs. When you do free services, normally, there shouldn't be any money problems.

You denounce the deterioration of your working conditions, what are the most critical points ?

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Incivility explodes in 2024. Drivers suffer every day. But we are not heard. The job was already difficult but when you add 150,000 people per day for free and without strengthening the offer. It is difficult to do maintenance. Driving pays the high price of free.

Do you have any figures on assaults and how many withdrawal rights have you exercised?

No, but we have insults every day with service stoppages. We exercised only one right of withdrawal in 2024 after physical attacks by drivers. Our windshields are smashed. Verbal attacks are the daily lot of drivers. I provide a public service mission, like in schools, in the prefecture or in hospitals, I do not want to be insulted.

The metropolitan transport police are not enough according to you to maintain order ?

We have been told for three years that it will be complete but it is not yet the case. They do not make the timetables validated by the metropolitan council because they are not sufficient. We are rather in social dialogue at TAM but it will be more and more complicated if they do nothing. We have lots of projects to screw everything up, it is up to them to decide. We went on strike on December 10 but if we had supported we would have blocked the entire network. The calendar is exceptional next year: you plant a big strike at the FISE, the extension of line 1 or line 5. I hope that will be resolved. The strike is the last resort but we have been warning for months and months.

You sent a formal notice to the Metropolis about the ZFE. Why ?

We can no longer come to work with our Crit’Air 3 vehicles. I come from Ganges, it’s too expensive to find accommodation in Montpellier. We calculated that around 10% of TAM employees drive a Crit’Air 3 car. We are requesting an exemption for the employees concerned. When we finish at midnight, we cannot take public transport to go home. If we do not get a favorable response, we will refer the matter to the administrative court for interim relief.

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