The number of assaults on drivers of the RATP bus network exploded in 2022, up 29% compared to 2021, according to an expert report carried out for the social and economic committee (CSE) of the surface network (RDS) of the authority, which currently has 15,000 bus drivers.
According to this report by DH23, consulted by AFP and whose data was published Tuesday by the newspaper Le Parisien, there were 891 "reported assaults" of bus drivers in 2022, after 690 in 2021. In 2020, a year marked by Covid-19 and a drop in traffic, 606 assaults were reported. There were 802 in 2019. The number of assaults increased by 11% last year compared to 2019. The Paris-Est bus depot is the one that recorded the most assaults in 2022, with 122 cases (+58% compared to 2021). That of Vitry-sur-Seine (Val-de-Marne) was the most spared with 15 cases (stable figure).
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33% fewer assaults since the beginning of the year
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Drivers go to work with a ball in their stomach. Assaults have increased. It's been 20 years that I've been at the RATP and it's getting worse and worse," Ahmed Berrahal, elected CGT, member of the health, safety and working conditions commission (CSSCT) of the CSE RDS, told AFP. "The assaults are becoming more and more serious. The driver is beaten and punched. There are about three assaults a day. And many do not report assaults, such as spitting, insults or death threats," he added. "The RATP does not do much, it has been years that we denounce these attacks. We demand staff on the bus with the driver," he protested.
The management of the RATP has for its part stressed that "the safety of (its) agents, and in particular that of bus drivers, is an absolute priority for the company". In addition to a "discreet" alarm, an "anti-aggression glass" must "protect from physical aggression" and there are "embedded cameras" in the buses, listed the authority, whose "internal security service (GPSR) intervenes quickly in close coordination with the police". "We are always looking to reduce the response times of GPSR teams," said management. Regarding the current year, the number of assaults reported from January to the end of August is "down 33%" compared to the same period of 2022, said the board.
