Association for Safeguarding the Patrimony of Transports Verney

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The Verney family had its origins in the department of Côtes d'Or at the heart of the vine growing region, then passing through Maine-et-Loire for a short time before grounding their suitcases in Sarthe, more exactly in Le Mans. We can see some ties with Brittany, in Dinard and Brest. It is from Louis Zacharie Verney that commercial interests come to the family, with the transport business from his son Louis Adolphe Verney (1872 - 1945). Louis Adolphe Verney, in "collaboration" with Dequaindry in a Le Mans public works business, is solicited by the contractors MM. Joly, Beldants Frères and Baërt Fils for attribution of local railways (VFIL), particularly in Finistère and Vienne.  The first concession contract for operating VFIL lines in Finistère was signed in 1891.  Other networks include the Compagnie des Chemins de Fer du Morbihan (C.M., future C.T.M. in 1968) associated with Baërt and Verney. These operations lasted until 1956. Verney & Baërt already operated on the roads by opening a first bus service in the Ardennes department in 1913, followed by Finistere with bus network A (train replacements) and bus network B (complementing the VFIL local lines).

 

Before the First World War, the Baërt & Verney company was founded, promoting the VFIL lines.  

It was not until the year 1927 that one sees the birth of the Société Centrale des Chemins de Fers (S.C.F.) founded by François Charles Baërt and Louis Verney.

A few years later, the phrase "d'Entreprises" is added to the end of the S.C.F. denomination. Two years later, the companies of the S.C.F. operate nearly 2,000 kilometres of railways, or 11 per cent of the network in eight departments employing three thousand people.

 

It was during this period that the Société Automobile des Transports de l'Ouest (STAO) was founded in four departments: Mayenne, Orne, Sarthe and Vienne. That of Sarthe is the flagship of the Group, with the factory and the head office of S.C.F. located at Le Mans.

In 1934, road transport took priority over the railway leading the S.C.F. towards conversion to the road. Rail networks were gradually being replaced by bus routes for two reasons: economic and better operating flexibility.

 

During the 1960s, the Group acquired new networks such as the Compagnie Armoricaine de Transports des Côtes du Nord, followed by that of Finistère in 1962. We could also mention the T.I.V. integrated into the group in full in 1965. The group is in ongoing expansion with its road transport business by operating charter, freight and courier transport in parallel to its main activity: regular bus lines. Mr. Yves-Michel VERNEY likes to say that he started his presidency with 1,200 buses and 750 trucks in 1977 divided between 54 brands and types.

 

One activity is developing strongly within the group: Tourism. The year 1976 was marked by the contribution of the CITER branch " Transport de voyageurs et agences de voyages " (passenger transport and travel agencies) of Transports Citroën, due to the significant participation of Michelin in the S.C.F. (by shareholding). As a result, the Compagnie Financière et Industrielle de Transports (C.F.I.T.) was launched, including all Citroën networks to be so marked. A year late Tourisme Verney is launched, of which we detail the history on our website. Verney is one of the largest French groups in the sector. Verney expands from the West to go to the East of the Lyon region ...

 

Slowing down, losses, recovery

 

Between 1978 and 1983, the Verney Group was in a difficult period with a restructuring policy leading to the closure or abandonment of lines or inter-urban networks: Clermont-Ferrand, Mulhouse, Lille, Saône-et -Loire ... The workforce went from 2832 to 2248 employees and the fleet from 1870 to 1609 vehicles. These painful events will cause the Group to miss urban opportunities towards the end of the seventies, like Cariane elsewhere!

 

In 1979, the Trophée de la Sécurité was set up, consisting of an internal competition between drivers for a higher level of safety. In terms of insurance, this trophy allowed a fall of fifty percent of the file of responsibility. Despite a diversification in the Messageries (1960s) and the acquisition of Transports Malissard fils and Savarzeix (1978), the freight business was dissolved in 1982 in order to refocus on passenger transport in all its forms: this part represents a quarter of the turnover, but created "a financial haemorrhage" according to the written sources of the time. This was followed by cancellation of construction activity in 1986: "I had to lead a difficult industrial change." (1). Throughout these changes, Michelin supports Verney. Stability returned between 1984 and 1990 when the group managed to stabilise its operation by initiating a recovery at the cost of massive investments such as the acquisition of 1,200 vehicles (of which 860 were new) in six years! On the subject of vehicles, it should be noted that the Group never resells a used coach to avoid fuelling "the market for vehicles that do everything and anything". On the urban side, it is more complicated: the Quimper network is taken over by Transexel, that of Morlaix by the CGFTE then transferred to VIA GTI. In 1990, Saint Brieuc passed to Transexel. The Verney Group is the first supplier to the SNCF, said the president in 1989: although the bus supports the railway this is hard to understand for some, the president calls this incomprehension "a problem of complementarity" (2). Each to their own skill, the SNCF on rail and Verney on the road.

 

A facelift for S.C.F. on the way towards G.T.V.

 

Following a redistribution of capital, the terms of which are confidential between the Michelin and Verney families, the share of Michelin shares (via PARDEVI) is 42%, compared to 97.6% in the 1970s and 1980s, which began with a symbolic 1% In 1972 to save the SCF from "predators".

 

Thus the family Verney is majority shareholder via its company VERNINVEST. New features include:

 

 

• As of January 1991, a regional (and legal) restructuring with a consolidation of subsidiaries leading to new network entities such as the CAA, CTA and CTE from Citroën. Moreover, we note that "vintage 1990" is a revival with external growth whereby the group acquires four companies (two in Brest and Clermont Ferrand, two others in Lyon and Strasbourg more important). They are included in the new regional structures active as of January 1, 1990. On the Lyonnais side, BURTIN-LYON is bought to merge with the Verney subsidiary (ex-Citroën) "Cars du Lyonnais" to become one entity: Transports Verney RhôneAlpes - TVRA. There were 26 corporate buybacks between September 1990 and October 1998, which allowed the Group to maintain its independence while maintaining growth.

• Creation of VERNEY VILLE to allow the Group a place in the urban environment and differentiating the different types of passenger transport. In 1991, Verney has presence at: Vannes, Fougères, Saumur, Saint-Lô, Sablé, Riom, Thiers. Altogether this does not exceed twenty-two vehicles per depot. Yves-Michel Verney insists on this entity to confirm its presence in the city since few colleagues are aware of the presence of the Group. This type of transport generates 10% of turnover. However, in 1999, only seven urban networks will entrust their operations to Verney.

• Establishment of GIE CONVERGENCE with Cariane and Transdev in July 1990, aiming at the creation of express coach lines on motorways as well as connecting lines to certain TGV stations. The competitor of the time was France Lignes, created in 1987, militating for the creation of these lines in competition with the SNCF. Yves-Michel Verney insists that the function of CONVERGENCE is to renovate, and modernise existing lines instead of creating new ones. The advantage of CONVERGENCE is that SCETA (via Cariane) possesses replacement routes that can be speeded up.

• Reinforcement of the Tourisme division identity (detailed on our website)

 

 

On 1 July 1991, S.C.F. Becomes G.T.V. (Compagnie Générale des Transports Verney): it is the new principal holding company of the Verney Group. G.T.V. Is the largest private family group in France with an energetic take up of the company by the Verney Family. The turnover is evolving well between 1993 and 1997 but with stagnation over the last two years. For the Tourism division, we speak in terms of "business volume" with a drop in 1993 and 1994 followed by a definite stagnation. Verney remains discreet on its figures, speaking not of numbers but of volume of business: that is a peculiarity of the group that attracts the curiosity of the competitors. The Group maintains its presence on regional routes such as the SAINT-BRIEUC => VANNES line created in 1995 (currently Transdev operates it with Verney heritage signs), and also with the development of TER lines. On the peri-urban side, Verney operates its services alone or in partnership with local coach firms like Grisel in 1997 in Eure and Val d'Oise.

 

Training: a key asset

 

In 1996, the Yves Verney Training Institute (I.F.Y.V.) was founded for technical improvement and dissemination of the Group's culture. It demonstrates the company's desire to invest in the training of its employees to provide quality service to passengers. Within the I.F.Y.V., all types of training are offered as modules on the methodology of long distance operation or the writing of contracts of sale within travel agencies. I.F.Y.V. works alongside employees to introduce them to the Euro and facilitate the new currency within the Group, so they can all advise customers on the benefits of the Euro. This institute shows the ambition of the Verney Group to train its staff for better adaptation and visible progress.

 

 Yves-Michel Verney disappeared abruptly on the night of 5 July 1998. The workers, who had been badly hit by the disappearance of the president, continued the work already started with great loyalty to the Group to take "the Verney House" ever further! We can take stock of this year when public transport accounts for 80% of G.T.V.'s turnover with its 210 regular lines contracted by the departments and regions. Followed by 20% from tourism. A fleet of 2,518 vehicles divided into 2,203 coaches and 315 buses of which 90% are RENAULT.  89 million kilometres travelled by the Cars Verney. In August 1998, Bruno Verney assumed the office of President in order to succeed his father. The Michelin shareholding approves this new management in July 1998. In his interview for Corinne Chérigny of Bus & Cars on May 7, 1999 (3) he advocates the independence of the Group and said he wanted to continue in the footsteps of his father with the support of his entourage. He studied the major issues of the company during the summer of 1998.

 

Starting to turn towards a final straight

 

The CGEA is a "partner" of Verney with the acquisition of Kunegel in 1999: Bruno Verney insists that he does not want a war against the local carriers and that he considers the CGEA as non-competitive to his group. This association is "unimaginable" for the time as can be read in the articles published, but it is strategic for Verney seeing its future internationally. For CGEA, this is an opportunity because it is only established in this sector in Lorraine and Germany.  Verney reinforces its positions without necessity of setting up in unfamiliar territory.

 

In February 2002, the sale of the family business to Connex (Vivendi Group) was announced: 3,200 employees and 2,700 coaches will wear new blue and yellow colours. The lifetime of Connex will only be a brief time to repaint its coaches: in 2005, Connex becomes Véolia Transports (Vivendi becomes Véolia Environnement). Today all is merged with Transdev. Note that "TV" is present in each of the entities, a sure sign! The Verney Group has always been loyal to Le Mans, its birthplace. The head office remained in this city for a hundred and eleven years, despite the general management being in the Paris region, the ultimate location of which was in Asnières-sur-Seine. Verney is the above all transporter with its roots in Sarthe, Vienne and Brittany.

 

Sources: 

 

1.  Jean-Pierre Allain, Grands groupes francais de transport de voyageurs, CERTU,‎ 1999, 430 p. (ISSN 1263-2570)

2. « Le décès d'Yves-Michel Verney: un choc pour la profession », Bus & Car,‎ 17 juillet 1998, p. 6

3. Corinne Chérigny, « "Je suis aussi attaché à l'indépendance du groupe que l'était mon père", Bruno Verney P.D.G. du groupe Verney », Bus & Car,‎ 07-21 mai 1999

4. Paul Burel, « Vivendi transporté par Verney », Ouest-France,‎ 22 janvier 2002

 

Verney Group Archives, preserved by the A S P T V