Officially, the elected representatives of the mixed union of urban transport Thionville Fensch (Smitu) will not communicate before the next meeting of the union committee postponed to November 24. On November 10, they were to discuss the conclusions of the report of the regional audit chamber, but for lack of having obtained a quorum during the last planned round table – two representatives were missing – the meeting could not to stand.
In its analysis of the situation, the financial administrative court issued its opinion on the organization of urban and interurban transport in the Thionville Fensch territory, over a period from 2013 to early 2019. What can be found in this document of 64 pages?
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Breaches
“The realization of the urban displacement plan suffers from a significant delay,” says the observation report. In 2019, two years from its theoretical completion, more than two-thirds of the actions were still not fully completed. “And to continue:” The Smitu and the city of Thionville created an internal transport operator, the SPL TransFensch, in 2013, to which the Smitu had entrusted the management and operation of the public transport service within the framework of a public service obligation contract (COSP). This contract did not sufficiently define the respective responsibilities of the mobility organizing authority and the operator. […] Most of the financial clauses defined by the COSP were neither applied nor relevant ”, judges the chamber.
She drives home the point: “While the operator should have borne the commercial risk, the difference between the forecast revenue and the actual revenue, and the industrial risk, the difference between the forecast charges and the actual charges, the contract did not respect these principles. . And by paying unjustified sums to TransFensch, Smitu was assuming a large share that it should have assumed. The room also scratches the piloting of Operation Citézen (the future electric buses). It also points to the use of the dedicated increased transport payment for the latter. “More than € 35 million, out of the € 42 million collected for this purpose, were used for other purposes”. In particular to replenish the cash flow of TransFensch.
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Recommendations
In its report, the chamber makes several recommendations. Pursue the establishment of an organization adapted to the accomplishment of the missions of the mobility organizing authority and the monitoring of the public transport operation on a dedicated site (Citézen operation). Ensure the implementation of the provisions of the new public service delegation contract (DSP) with Keolis, in terms of monitoring compliance with routes and passenger satisfaction. Ensure the application of the provisions provided for in the DSP in terms of the fight against fraud and exercise control over the quality of the service provided. Ensure real management of the continuation of the public transport project on its own site. Improve the forecasting and budget management of the operating section and the investment section. Finally, review the amount of members’ contributions in order to balance the budget and reserve the increased transport payment to finance the TCSP project.
And to conclude, on a better note: “On February 2021, the Smitu chose to replace the contract with TransFensch by a public service delegation whose date of entry into force is 1is April 2021. The drafting of the associated contract took into account the criticisms and recommendations formulated by the chamber. The authorizing officer must ensure compliance with the provisions of this contract. ”
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