Residents of Carthage and Transtu‑Served Areas Decry Years of Bus Line Abuse and Negligence
La Presse – After years of mounting complaints, a local elected official finally presented the grievances of Carthage’s inhabitants to the regional director of Transtu, highlighting irregularities and a chronic lack of listening. This initiative reignites the debate on the urgent need for a deep reform to rescue the public transport service and restore users’ confidence.
A Long‑Awaited Initiative
The move was especially anticipated because the abuses and overruns have become intolerable. The facts reported by the elected official are not recent; they date back several years.
A New Approach
Users of lines 18 C and 20 C have repeatedly complained about the conduct of the drivers on these two routes and their total disregard for the company’s instructions.
- These behaviours are repeatedly denounced by passengers, yet no deterrent measures have been taken against the offenders.
- The serious negligence of Transtu agents does not affect only the two or three lines mentioned; the same problems appear on other corridors (Mnihla, Ezzahrouni, Mhamdia, Fouchana, etc.).
The Same Scenes Play Out Daily
When residents of the northern suburbs voice their frustration, it is because they are fed up with the transport conditions offered to them.
The member of the Carthage local council reviewed, together with Transtu’s regional manager, all the inconveniences faced by residents and lamented the lack of responsiveness.
Key Issues Discussed
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Non‑Compliance with the Route
- Lines 18 C and 20 C skip the stations of the Carthage‑Mohamed Ali, Yasmina, and Byrsa districts. Five stations are omitted both on the outbound and return trips.
- Passengers are forced to alight mid‑journey and continue on foot.
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Students Left Waiting for Hours
- Pupils from the Carthage Hannibal and Carthage‑Présidence high schools often endure long waits without seeing a single bus. Their only options are to walk home or stay put, risking missing afternoon classes.
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Driver Shortcutting
- Drivers on line 20 departing from “Le Passage” frequently ignore the mandatory itinerary, cutting across Rue du Ghana instead of using Avenue Mohamed V, and only re‑enter the network at Charguia. This detour eliminates at least five scheduled stops, depriving passengers of service.
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Private Buses Pass By Every Fifteen Minutes
- While Transtu buses are delayed for hours, private operators run past the same stops every quarter‑hour. Anyone who doubts this can verify it themselves.
“During DJF, the Services Move!”
We do not question the professionalism of the majority of drivers, but we cannot ignore the numerous deviations committed by a minority.
Another major complaint concerns the cancellation of many services on Sundays and public holidays (DJF). It is unreasonable to assume that people do not travel during these periods.
Urgent call to action: Those responsible for the fate of our national transport company must review their policies and implement the necessary corrective measures.
This phenomenon is not unique to the lines mentioned. A quick scan of social‑media posts from the majority of users of these bus routes reveals the same concerns and the same violations.
Listening to Users – A Must‑Do
The transport company should seriously consider establishing an effective channel to collect users’ complaints and stay constantly attentive.
- Complaints must be taken into account because they can shed light on issues that managers are unaware of.
- The current “Customer Listening” service on the website is useless. The questionnaire is so cumbersome that it deters many users.
- The form asks for strictly personal data that should not be required in such a context—it feels more like a tax declaration than a feedback tool.
The Bigger Picture
The proposal from the Tunis regional council member representing Carthage is only the starting point of a broader framework. We envision a collective action involving all stakeholders, because rescuing Transtu is not the sole responsibility of the company—it belongs to every Tunisian.
- The elected official has pledged to take the necessary measures to remedy the setbacks that cause serious harm to the public‑transport clientele.
- Yet, because the situation is not new, residents of the affected zones remain skeptical about the outcome of their complaints.
Hope remains that these efforts will not be in vain.
Next Steps: Reform‑Driven Action
The initiative we report must be rooted in a reformist agenda. That is precisely the aim of our proposal to conduct an audit or set up a parliamentary inquiry commission (see our article published on 18 February).
Keywords: Transtu, public transport, Carthage, bus line 18C, bus line 20C, service reform, Sunday and holiday service cuts, passenger complaints, transport audit, parliamentary inquiry, Tunisia.
