History of the company
Mr Antoine VENET was born in 1914 in Pomeys (Rhône) and brought up on a farm. At the age of 15, he chose to learn agricultural, then car mechanics. After that he did his military service and when the war broke out in 1939, he had been married for one year with Jeanne JULLIEN who was living in Duerne. She was a farmer’s daughter too.
They decided to settle in Duerne, at the place known as “le Loyard”. There, Antoine could do his job: repairing agricultural machines, bicycles, cars, motorbikes, as well as selling equipment; to sum up: general mechanics.
Antoine had ambition and above all courage, in 1955 he set up after a few years in the Centre of Duerne, next to the church in a barn which had been used as a stage coach station : indeed, until the beginning of the 20th century, stagecoaches where the only means of transport between Lyon and Bordeaux. The barn belonged to his father-in-law, Francis JULLIEN, who had stopped his activity because of his age.
Der zielstrebige Antoine hatte den Mut sich 1955 im Zentrum von Duerne neben der Kirche in einer alten Scheune niederzulassen, die vorher als Standort der Postkutsche gedient hatte, die die einzige Verbindungsmöglichkeit zwischen Lyon und Bordeaux war und die seinem Schwiegervater Francis Jullien gehörte, der sich aus Altersgründen zurückgezogen hatte.
In 1957, Antoine bought the coaches company that Mr Etienne AMAR had in Duerne (Mr AMAR had died the year before being run over by his Berliet coach). His widow let the priority of the purchase of the transport business to the garage mechanic who mended his equipment. And this was the reason why Mr VENET came to the activity of transporting travellers. In 1968, Antoine let the running of the firm to his 26-years-old eldest son, Raymond, helped by his 2 brothers Jean-Marc and Michel, then by Bernadette who became his wife in 1970.
The stables opposite to the church were demolished in 1974 to build 500m2 of mechanical garage, which was also used as a warehouse for the coaches. On the first floor, 2 flats were fitted out for Raymond and Jean-Marc.
At the beginning of 1957, the rolling stock was a PCK Berliet (from the former owner, Mr AMAR). Then Antoine bought a small coach where it was written on the back door “Weddings-Banquets-Excursions”: doing advertising was important !
In 1957 too, a UNIC ZU55 (coachwork Besset) was bought and the fleet became bigger with a P45 Citroen and 2 Iso Blocks in 1967.
In 1958, the first school bus service was organized between La Chapelle sur Coise and Duerne. In 1962, the school bus service in the Monts du Lyonnais was created (shared equally with the transport companies of the area: DEVIGNE in Châtelus (Loire) and DELEAGE in Sainte Catherine (Rhône).
Every year, people of the company went to Alsace to buy second-hand coaches to face the school bus service market.
Because of the demand for groups and associations travels, tourism equipment was bought. : 1 SAURER coach in 1968, then a brand-new SAVIEM for the Olympic Games of Grenoble (but the coach was delivered after the Games). Then, the famous SETRA S14 and MERCEDES 321H and 321HL coaches were bought in 1970 and 1971.
Antoine VENET died in 1981 at the age of 67; his wife, Jeanne died in 1966 at the age of 83.
In 1979, an agricultural property next to the village with adjacent real estate and 6000m2 of land was bought.
And the company grew year after year under the control of Antoine’s sons.
Two buildings were build on this property: one of 1260 m2 for a garage (1981) and the second one of 1 000 m2 for a mechanical garage and workshop and sheet metal industrial manufacture (1977).
In 2004, commercial premises were fitted out next to this site; 280 m2 of offices were built in a leafy and shady setting to welcome the customers in the best conditions.
In 2006, the garage was extended by 2 new buildings of 300 m2with a mezzanine.
The firm has been managing 51 school services, a workers service (Sanofi/Pasteur since 1977), 2 services for handicapped people (the workshops “La Goutte d’Or” in Meys since 1982), with a stock of 14 High Class Touring coaches (SETRA 400 series), 23 coaches for school service, among which small vehicles with seating capacity from 5 to 9 people.
According to the tradition of 3 generations, Didier and Richard, Raymond’s sons, have been ensuring the continuation of the family firm.
Duerne is situated at 35 km from Lyon and 42 km from Saint Etienne : in the centre of the Monts du Lyonnais, at an altitude of 800m, between the Lyonnais and the Forez regions, in the middle of 5 cantons : Saint Symphorien sur Coise, Saint Laurent de Chamousset, Chazelles sur Lyon, Vaugneray and Mornant.