Overfull night bus problem to be resolved, ministry says

As recently reported, many cleaners who work in the Gasperich district of Luxembourg City and finish work at 21:00 have found themselves struggling to get home to towns in the south, including Differdange, because the bus is almost always full and drivers do not allow standing passengers on the motorway. The tired workers, mostly women, often have to wait for 30, or even 60, minutes in the cold.

Speaking to Contacto, the women said they gather every day at the Schaarfen Eck bus stop around 20:55 to wait for RGTR bus number 607, travelling from Monterey (near Hamilius) to Oberkorn in Differdange, via Esch-sur-Alzette, Belvaux and Soleuvre. After a long day at work, they said they just want to get home as soon as possible to rest and be with their families.

Following the news, the Ministry of Mobility and Public Works has confirmed that the ATP (public transport authority) is looking into the situation. “We have contacted the company [that serves the RGTR network] to improve the situation and we are analysing demand on the route in order to adapt the offer,” a ministry spokesperson said.

When asked what measures will be implemented, the spokesperson said the solution could be to increase the frequency of buses on the route.

The cleaners in question work until 21:00, but ask their bosses to leave five minutes early so they can catch the 21:01 bus. If they cannot find a seat, they have to wait for the 604 to Villerupt in France, which leaves about ten minutes later. That bus, though, stops at the Raemerich roundabout in Esch, and some of the people still have to wait another hour to make the connection to Differdange.

Other alternatives are the 608, which also goes to Niederkorn and passes Gasperich at 21:33, or, if that is full, the 609 at 21:45 – although this does not stop at Soleuvre, where some of the women get off. If neither of these options works, they have to wait exactly one hour for the next 607, at 22:01.

“It’s happened so many times. Everyone complains about it, but nobody reports it because they’re afraid,” Judite Pinto, one of the cleaners affected, said. “There are buses available, but they are all full and they’re small, they don’t have the capacity to take so many people leaving work at that time.”

Buses travelling under-capacity?

One of the complaints from passengers is that the buses on line 607 don’t always have the same number of seats. According to Diamantino Azevedo, vehicles of two different sizes alternate: a smaller one, with around 40 seats, and a larger one, with capacity for around 60 seated passengers. “It’s a difference of 20 seats, and even the bigger one is full, but at least it’s all seated,” said the passenger.

The Ministry of Mobility initially told Contacto: “According to the contracts in force, buses with a minimum capacity of 60 seats are required on this entire route,” and that “sanctions are foreseen in the event of non-compliance with this requirement”. However, when asked about the use of a 40-seater, the ministry spokesperson said it has not been possible to verify either way.

The Ministry of Mobility also emphasised that the ATP has not received any formal complaints about the situation.

(This article appeared in Contacto. Translation and editing by Alex Stevensson.)