Issy-les-Moulineaux, March 16, 2022 : the Transdev Group today announced its various support measures for Ukrainian refugees. Drawing on its experience, the Group will train and onboard 1,000 Ukrainian drivers and mechanics in France. In countries close to the conflict, notably in Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Germany, the Group is setting up several schemes to provide assistance to refugees through donations and team members volunteering.
While war has had an impact on Europe, the Transdev Group has set up several initiatives to help refugees.
- Transdev will soon initiate a program for 1,000 Ukrainian refugees which involves welcoming them into the Group and providing training to allow them to work as bus or coach drivers or mechanics. The Group draws from its exisiting experiences, in France, for the past two years, Transdev has been offering a literacy and training program for people in difficult situations, to facilitate their return to employment. Based on this experience and in partnership with NGOs, Thierry Mallet, the Group's CEO, launched an appeal to NGOs on Monday, March 14, 2022.
- In addition, Transdev is providing assistance to the families of its employees affected by the conflict in the Ukraine. In Germany, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the Group is collecting equipment, providing assistance for the repatriation of employees’ families and, in particular, chartering buses at the Ukrainian border. Financial support is also provided to help them settle in their respective host countries. In Germany specifically, the Group has announced that Ukrainian refugees will be able to use trains on the NordWestBahn, Mitterdeutsche Regiobahn and Bayerische RegioBahn networks free of charge. In the same spirit, in the Netherlands, Transdev in partnership with all local PTAs offer free public transit. In the Czech Republic, most of our clients have already decided to offer free public transportation to all refugees since March 9, 2022.
- Furthermore, Transdev, with the Carius network, has mobilized a team of ambulance drivers to deliver 15 equipped ambulances to the border of the conflict, driven by volunteer employee drivers. This convoy is accompanied by a Transdev Grand Est bus, transporting collected donations, which will repatriate the volunteer employee drivers. The first convoy left on the night of March 14 - 15, from the Bouc Bel Air site.
- Finally, in many of the Group's subsidiaries around the world and at Transdev's head office, collections of clothes, over-the-counter medicines and hygiene products have been set up in partnership with humanitarian associations and will be sent regularly to Ukraine.
Press release
DownloadWe had to be there for our Ukrainian employees, but also for all Ukrainians. This is why we are working in close collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ukrainian Embassy and also the "Aide Medicale Caritative France Ukraine" charity. We are also mobilizing other networks, federations and professional associations to create a national collective and respond to the urgency of the situation,"
says Thierry Mallet, Chairman and CEO of Transdev Group.
As an operator and global integrator of mobility, Transdev – The mobility company –empowers freedom to move everyday thanks to safe, reliable and innovative solutions that serve the common good. We are proud to provide 11 million on average passenger trips everyday thanks to efficient, easy to use and environmentally friendly transportation services that connect people and communities. Our approach is rooted in long-term partnerships with businesses and public authorities, and in the relentless pursuit of the safest and most innovative mobility solutions. We are a team of people serving people, and mobility is what we do. Transdev is jointly held by Caisse des Dépôts Group (66%) and the Rethmann Group (34%). In 2020, with 83,000 employees in 17 countries, the Group generated total revenues of € 6.75 billion.