Clément Beaune sought to allay concerns about bedbugs on Wednesday. The Minister responsible for Transport therefore assured that there was “no resurgence” in the presence of these insects in public transport and asked operators to publish “every three months” data on reported cases. .
A meeting was called during the day at the Ministry of Transport to take stock of several reports received, and while bedbugs are the subject of growing fear in public opinion.
The minister considers it “important to be transparent”
In public transport, “there is seriousness, each reported case receives a response, a verification”, and none of those reported “in recent weeks” to the RATP and the SNCF are proven, indicated Clément Beaune. “I asked all operators to publish data on reported cases, proven cases” and “actions” implemented, a publication “every three months”, because “it is important to be transparent,” he underlined, after the meeting with transport operators and user associations.
The minister also “asked operators to strengthen their protocols, to intervene quickly. In each sector, there must be a strengthening of actions.” “We take this matter seriously. There is no resurgence”, but “a real concern” with regard to a subject to be treated “methodically, seriously”, insisted Clément Beaune, warning against “fake news”.
Another meeting will take place before the end of the month with “all specialist service providers” in the treatment of bedbugs to discuss “good practices” which could enable transport operators to provide an “even more effective response”. and fast” against these insects, he also announced.
According to the minister, “in recent weeks, around ten cases have been reported to the RATP (…) all have been verified” and there were “zero proven cases”. At the SNCF, there have been “37 cases” reported “in recent weeks” and, there too, “all verified, zero proven,” he added. “There is no increase in cases, no psychosis, no anxiety to be had,” he repeated. Data on reports and “preventive and curative treatment protocols” of operators will be published every three months on the websites of the Ministry of Transport and that of the government, the ministry said.
“For the moment, it’s a psychosis”
Among the companies, organizations or associations present at the meeting were SNCF, RATP, the employers’ organization of public and rail transport UTP, the National Federation of Passenger Transport (FNTV), the Union of French Airports (UAF) , the National Federation of Aviation and its Trades (Fnam) as well as the National Federation of Transport User Associations (Fnaut), according to the ministry.
At the end of the meeting, Bruno Gazeau, president of Fnaut, considered this meeting “useful”. “The subject is taken seriously. (…) This is valuable to know. For the moment, it’s a psychosis,” he added, noting that of the cases reported to the SNCF and the RATP, “nothing has been proven. In the provinces too.” An interministerial meeting on this sensitive subject must also be held on Friday in Matignon.