Tunis - A small Cabinet meeting on the development of the public transport system was held on Monday at the Government Palace in the Kasbah, under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Sarra Zaafrani Zenzri.

The meeting is part of the ongoing monitoring of the development of the public transport system.

At the opening of the meeting, the Prime Minister affirmed that developing the public transport system is not a matter of temporary or partial solutions, but rather a strategic choice of the State.

She stressed that the objective is to carry out structural reforms of a dilapidated system, weakened by accumulated policies over past decades. “This requires rebuilding it on solid and stable foundations within the framework of a comprehensive strategy and an action plan to be implemented in the short, medium and long terms, in line with the vision of the President of the Republic, Kaïs Saïed,” according to a Prime Ministry statement.

She further noted the need to allocate the necessary budgets to invest in the public transport sector, which represents a vital artery of the Tunisian economy and whose development is a State priority within its social and economic role.

During the Cabinet meeting, emphasis was placed on restructuring the public transport sector in general, and land transport in particular, as well as improving the performance of its institutions and the quality of services provided to citizens, in order to meet their needs and offer them comfortable means of transport.

In this context, the Prime Minister indicated that the State is currently working, in the short term, to identify urgent solutions to ease the difficulties faced by citizens in their daily travel across the entire country.

This will be achieved through the renewal of the bus and metro fleets, which have deteriorated over recent decades, pending the full revival of this vital sector that has been almost devastated nationwide.

Minister of Transport, Rachid Amri, presented a detailed report on the problems and difficulties facing the land transport sector in particular, due to the accumulation of past choices and policies. This has led to weak investment, the deterioration of fleet infrastructure and rising maintenance and servicing costs.

As a result, availability rates at some regional transport companies have reached unprecedented low levels. To address these problems in the short term, an urgent investment programme has been launched to renew the fleet, he added.

In this regard, the Minister announced the arrival dates of 461 new buses, which will be received during the first quarter of 2026 in several batches starting this month.

These buses will be allocated to regions based on transparent criteria to ensure transport services both within and between cities.

The allocation criteria will be based on the real needs of each region, according to the principle of priority. The aim is to open up several regions of the country and alleviate the hardship faced by citizens.

The Cabinet meeting also took several decisions:

-To authorize regional transport companies and the National Intercity Transport Company (SNTRI) to acquire 621 new buses for the year 2026, through an international call for tenders including:

-Standard buses for urban and regional transport,

-Articulated buses for school, university and vocational training transport,

-minibuses to open up marginalised regions,

-Air-conditioned buses for intercity transport, to support integration and connectivity between regions and districts.

The Cabinet also decided that the distribution of these buses will be carried out fairly among all regions across the Republic, based on clear criteria, in order to put an end to citizens’ suffering in their travel within and between cities, in accordance with the directives of the President of the Republic.

It further ordered:

-The establishment of a maintenance programme for the buses already acquired or scheduled for acquisition, with regular monitoring of its implementation and the obligation to carry out the necessary periodic maintenance,

-The digitisation of the transport sector through improved operation and management of public services, by adjusting scheduling according to actual passenger traffic and adopting applications for more efficient management of fuel, maintenance and inventories,

-The improvement of passenger information tools through screens in major stations, smartphone applications and an electronic portal for routes displaying real-time arrival schedules of transport services, with the aim of facilitating travel planning with greater accuracy and comfort.

The Prime Minister stressed the need to accompany investment in land transport equipment with an integrated reform vision for all components of the public transport system, as well as the imperative to improve governance, restructure the public enterprises overseeing the sector and develop infrastructure.

This also involves establishing sustainable public transport and achieving a balance between the road transport system and other modes of transport, particularly rail transport, which is characterised by greater efficiency and profitability.

The development and modernisation of the railway transport system, whether urban or intercity, remains a strategic choice for the State in the land public transport sector.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the Prime Minister emphasised that the State’s transport policy will undergo a fundamental transformation compared to what has been adopted over recent decades, within the framework of a comprehensive reform vision aimed at improving the quality of public transport and meeting the legitimate aspirations and expectations of citizens.

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