The facts
- A fire occurred on the night of October 29 to 30 in a low-voltage technical room at the bus depot in Rivery where there was no more electricity.
- Buses (Nemo, thermal and gas) were able to circulate normally thanks to temporary solutions
- Certain services (vending machines, passenger information terminals at stops, etc.), on the other hand, experienced major disruptions
LThe situation is not improving for the Ametis bus network. In a press release sent to the editorial staff this Saturday evening, Kéolis management announced that bus traffic, already stopped in the morning, will be further suspended this Sunday, November 17. The electrical problem, which occurred this Saturday, has clearly not been resolved. “ A generator failed, we specified at Kéolis Amiens. These generators that we had to put in place after the fire of October 29 [dans un local technique basse tension à Rivery]. » Incident which then resulted in the total loss of the electricity network.
Gradual return to depot
Unlike the previous episode, the control center of the bus network could not, this time, be relocated to the urban supervision center of the municipal police, making it impossible to ensure the continued operation of the buttons. call and geolocation of buses on the network. Under these conditions, the FO union, the majority, invited the approximately 150 drivers – on duty this Saturday – to exercise their right of withdrawal. “ Geolocation, radio, telephone… nothing works anymore, laments Mohamed Kaddouri, FO union delegate. For the safety of drivers and passengers, we have decided to cease our activity. We hope that the situation will be resolved quickly because we know that there are travelers at the stops. » The buses therefore gradually returned to the depot.
And they were not the only ones concerned by this new incident. Activities provided by the Allô Ametis service (customer relations center, on-demand transportation reservation, customer account management, bike rental and fine management); the management of transport tickets and real-time monitoring of lines are also experiencing disruptions. Kéolis also invites users to consult its website (ametis.fr) to keep informed of changes in the state of traffic on its lines.
Not all users informed
Under the bus shelters in the city center, many of them had not been informed of this new incident. Like Cheïma, who arrived in Amiens in the middle of the afternoon. “ Since I've been waiting for 10 minutes, I didn't really worry, confides the student. I don't know how I'm going to get to the Bailly university residence where I live… On foot, it's a long way. » Nearby, Jérémy in turn discovers, through us, the bad news. “ I have to go to the Amiens-Picardie University Hospital. I'll try to get someone to take me there and failing that, I'll call an Uber. » If these two users remained calm in the face of this situation, others did not hide their annoyance. This is the case of Benjamin, who planned to return home after his day of work. “ It's crazy that there weren't any posters put up under the bus shelters for example! plague the young man. I've been waiting for about twenty minutes. As no one can come and pick me up, I will have to wait for my colleague, who finishes at 6 p.m., so that he can drop me off at my home, south of Amiens.. »
At this time, it is still unclear when bus traffic will be restored.
“This is what we feared the most”
Contacted, Jean-Claude Renaux, vice-president of Amiens Métropole responsible for Mobility, recalled that the safety of drivers and users was the priority. “ It is extremely rare for drivers to exercise their right of withdrawal. Given the aggression they can demonstrate, we understand their decision knowing that there is no longer the possibility of geolocating them and for them to raise the alarm in the event of a problem. »
And to continue: “ This total stoppage of bus traffic was the situation we all feared ».
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