Bus strike. For users of this town in Yvelines, the “struggle” continues

This Thursday, January 9, 2025, the Place Romagné station stop in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine (Yvelines) is well calm.

Crowds under bus shelters are unusually low. And for good reason, since November 7, 2024the drivers of the 32 lines of the Cergy-Pontoise Confluence bus network, managed by Francilité Seine-et-Oise (Fso), a subsidiary of Lacroix & Savac, on behalf of Île-de-France Mobilités (Idfm), are in strike.

After more than two months, residents and employees are exasperated, despite the passage of a few buses.

“It’s a hassle”

On the platform, eyes on her smartphone, Aminata waits. This high school student from Jules-Ferry lives “very badly” social conflict. “I have to walk 20 to 30 minutes to class every morning in the cold. Whereas usually by bus, it's not even 10 minutes. »

A little further on, Alicia, bartender at the Speedpark, is waiting for 7816 to go to Cergy, to take advantage of the sales. A line managed by the company Francilité Express Ouest, not impacted by the current social conflict, but, according to users, not known for its punctuality.

The buses here are complicated, I take them when I have to

“I have a bus that stops five minutes from my house, but I'm never sure if it passes. Even before the strikes, buses could pass every third or fourth time. Except that at one point, I took it to go to work. So now I go there by bike. »

An observation shared by a Russian forty-year-old working in a retirement home in Conflans: “My colleagues who come by bus are always late. Those with children must leave earlier to wait for the bus. And sometimes the buses don't even come. »

But not everyone does without this service, like Fatou, 42 years old and a maintenance worker. The Parisienne tours several towns in Yvelines to practice her profession.

“For me, it’s a hassle! In Conflans, I work at Place de la Liberté, I have to walk 30 minutes more every day. In addition, there are no signs, no one is there to tell us at what time the buses will pass. »

A moral in Berne

On the other hand, behind the wheels, the morale of the drivers who have returned to work is not high.

“They order us to take our service at Saint-Ouen-l’Aumône. If we don't do it, they consider us in unjustified absencewhile we have a contract at the Conflans depot. This is not normal,” one of them gets angry. This driver also denounces working and hygienic conditions which have deteriorated.

“When you go up in the morning, it’s a pigsty. They took away cleaning hours at night to make the maintenance company work in the afternoon and save money. »

In this context, this employee confesses: “I want to leave”.

Note that since Monday January 13, despite the continuation of the strike, the number of lines in circulation has increased compared to last week. According to the X account (ex Twitter) of the Cergy-Pontoise Confluence network, buses run on 14 of them. But with less frequency than usual.

When contacted, Fso did not wish to answer our questions.

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