One of the new buses recently acquired by the Ministry of Transport as part of a contract with China worth 152 million dinars has been vandalized, said Nabil Masmoudi, central director of operations at the Tunis Transport Company (TransTU).
During an intervention on the radio Jawhara FM, Masmoudi said that the bus, still new and not yet put into service, was the target of stone jets when it was transferred from one deposit to another, at the level of the popular district of the Helal city in Tunis. The driver did not realize the incident at the time, the stones not having crossed the windows, and it was only when the deposit arrived that the damage was noted.
According to Masmoudi, this act is part of a series of repeated assaults against the means of public transport in the country. In 2024, the TransTU identified the breakage of around 300 windows, and 140 others since the beginning of 2025. He strongly condemned these practices, describing them as “inadmissible in a society supposed to be evolved in 2025”, calling to act to slow down this costly phenomenon for the State.
The most striking example remains the pebble of a train at the level of the Helal city in September 2022. The incident had caused a wave of panic among the passengers, two of which had been injured.
400 buses in circulation
On another level, Masmoudi said that 400 buses are currently in circulation, with a target of 750 for the next school year. About 100 buses are under maintenance. He also announced the implementation of a specific training program for new buses, with trainers already appointed to ensure the training of the rest of the staff in turn.
Finally, Masmoudi confirmed the signing of a contract on the acquisition of 418 new buses: 118 for the TransTu, 40 for the National Interurban Transport Company, the rest being intended for regional transport companies.
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