It was in a tense atmosphere that Jean-Christopher Colombo’s convocation took place before the disciplinary council of Keolis on Wednesday July 23 in Bordeaux. The company delegate for public transport of the Metropolis of Bordeaux had summoned the bus driver attacked during his service in Villenave-d’Ornon, last May, with a view to a possible sanction which can go as far as dismissal. The reason: his non-compliance with safety instructions and an involvement of the company.
After a start of the day marked by the blocking of Bordeaux-Lac bus deposit by around thirty CFDT unionists who came to support the bus driver, the employee therefore defended himself for almost three hours against the accusations carried by Keolis.
“I don’t sleep anymore”
On May 17, 2025, Jean-Christopher Colombo activates the opening of his bus doors at the Vlacav Havel stop, on line 23, at the Villenave-d’Ornon level. He salutes passengers as usual. A young traveler does not answer him, so the 52 -year -old man calls out to him. “I put his arm on my shoulder and reiterated my hello. I had no desire to moralize him. I just wanted to have a visual contact with him. »»
The passenger then covers him with insults and advances on the bus to find a place. A behavior that makes the driver react: he decides to get out of his cabin to expel the traveler. There follows a violent assault. The young traveler takes his punches and heads. The driver finds himself on the ground, the passenger leaves the bus. Diagnosis for Jean-Christopher Colombo: two ligaments experienced in the shoulder. An ITT fixed at eight days which will be extended to forty-five days. The employee then receives support from his management. A shoulder operation is scheduled for May 28. But on May 29, Jean-Christopher Colombo received a letter from his employer. “A letter of convocation to an interview prior to a possible disciplinary sanction. I was barely out of the clinic I opened this mail. Since then, I haven’t eaten, I don’t sleep anymore. In fact, I am destroyed. »»
“The instructions are clear”
First grievance of Keolis towards his agent? The management criticizes Jean-Christopher Colombo for not having respected the safety instructions. In a press release published on July 23, the transport company details: “These instructions are clear: in the event of aggression or violence, not to leave its post, immediately alert the PC security and never intervene physically. “A clarity in the instructions called into question by Jean Lebonjour, secretary general of the SNTU (National Urban Transport Union) section of the Southwest CFDT, who came to support this Wednesday to the bus driver with colleagues:” The management of the company plays on this argument to discard. The obligation for the driver to stay in his cabin is by no means registered in the internal regulations. If a person had ever been assaulted on the bus, would the driver be criticized for getting out of his cabin to help him? »»
“If a person was ever assaulted on the bus, would the driver be criticized for getting out of his cabin to help him?” »»
For Keolis, it is however this violation of the rules that precipitated the aggression. “Mr. Colombo left his driving position without warning the security teams, then expelled the bus traveler by force, a formally prohibited gesture […]. He endangered, even though solid and reactive safety protocols exist, ”said Keolis press release.
Respect for the instructions which was therefore at the heart of the disciplinary council debates on Wednesday, such as the involvement of the company that would have caused the media coverage by the bus driver. An accusation that shocks Jean-Christopher Colombo: “When I received this letter of convocation, I felt abandoned by management. Keolis did not even have a civil party in this case. I have the impression that they are the ones who destroyed me. »»
If the bus driver recognizes that the human resources department has sought to appease the debates during the disciplinary council, the decision remains uncertain. She is now in the hands of the director general of Keolis. The employer has a maximum period of one month to notify the bus driver for its possible sanction.