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 commuters to the regional director of Transtu, highlighting irregularities and a chronic lack of responsiveness. The move 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 intervention was especially needed because the abuses and overruns have become intolerable. The incidents cited by the official are not recent; they date back several years.
A New Approach
Passengers, particularly those using lines 18 C and 20 C, have repeatedly complained about the conduct of drivers on these routes and their total disregard for the company’s instructions.
These behaviours have been reported countless times by users, yet no deterrent measures have been taken against the offenders.
The serious negligence of Transtu staff is not limited to the two or three lines mentioned. Similar problems are reported on other corridors (Mnihla, Ezzahrouni, Mhamdia, Fouchana, etc.).
The Same Scenes Play Out Every Day
When residents of the northern suburbs voice their frustration, it is because they are fed up with the transport conditions imposed on them.
The Carthage municipal council member reviewed, together with Transtu’s regional manager, all the inconveniences faced by locals and lamented the lack of listening.
The discussion focused on non‑compliance with the scheduled itinerary. Lines 18 C and 20 C skip the stations of the Carthage‑Mohamed Ali, Yasmina, and Byrsa districts. In effect, five stations are omitted both on the outbound and return trips. Passengers are forced to alight mid‑route and continue on foot.
High‑school students from Carthage Hannibal and Carthage‑Présidence often wait for hours without seeing a single bus. Their only options are to walk home or stay put, risking missing afternoon classes.
A further grievance concerns drivers on line 20 departing from Le Passage: instead of following the mandatory route, they cut across Rue du Ghana, bypass Avenue Mohamed V, and only re‑join the line at Charguia, depriving passengers of at least five stops.
While they wait for Transtu buses for hours, private minibuses pass by every fifteen minutes. Those who doubt it can simply verify.
Service Gaps on Sundays and Public Holidays (DJF)
We are not questioning the professionalism of the majority of drivers, but we cannot ignore the numerous deviations committed by a minority.
Another major complaint concerns the reduction of service on Sundays and public holidays. It is unreasonable to assume that people do not travel during these periods.
Therefore, those responsible for the fate of our national transport company must urgently review their policies and implement the necessary corrective measures.
This phenomenon is not unique to the cited lines. 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 for collecting user complaints and maintaining constant dialogue.
Complaints must be taken into account because they can shed light on issues that managers are unaware of.
“The customer is king?”
The current online “Customer Listening” service is useless. The questionnaire is so cumbersome that it deters many users. It asks for highly personal data that should not be required in such a context—more akin to a tax return than a feedback form.
Towards Collective Action
The proposal from the regional council member of Tunis representing the Carthage area 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 all Tunisians.
Regarding the elected official’s initiative, it has been committed to taking the necessary measures to remedy the setbacks that cause serious harm to the public‑transport clientele.
However, as the situation is not new, residents of the affected zones remain skeptical about the outcome of their complaints.
We hope, nonetheless, that these efforts will not be in vain.
The Way Forward
The initiative we report must be rooted in reformist action. This 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, bus lines 18 C, 20 C, service reform, Tunisia, commuter complaints, Sunday service, transport negligence, citizen advocacy
