Free transportation in Canary Islandsfrom which the buses of all the Islands and the tram of Tenerifehas not only achieved public transport to gain followers, but has managed to retain these new users. Thus, in the last semester, period in which the bonus has been in force, 41.6 million journeys were made in urban buses in the Islands, 45% more than in the same semester of the previous year.
The data on passenger transport published this Thursday by the National Institute of Statistics make it palpable that, after a peak of increase related to free admission and some decreases due to bureaucracy when issuing a season ticket, the trend in the Canary Islands is towards consolidation. In fact, from May to June of this year the number of trips made remained practically unchanged and 7.3 million trips were made in two months.
That canaries can travel for free on buses and trams is not a measure that has been without controversy. It was in 2022 when the Government of Spain He proposed, for the first time, subsidizing public transport in order to relieve the pockets of citizens in the face of the exorbitant rise in fuel prices caused by the sanctions imposed on Russia after the invasion of Ukraine. The first approach of the Executive then was to subsidize the buses in the Islands by 30%something that generated discontent due to the unequal way in which the aid reached the communities, since in the Peninsula, lThe trains would benefit from the 100% bonus.
50% did not like everyone equally
After days of negotiations, Sebastián Franquis, who was the director of Public Works, Transport and Housing of the Government of the Canary Islands in the previous term, he was pleased to have achieved a change of position in the Executive of Pedro Sánchez and, finally, on September 1, 2022 buses and trams benefited from a 50% discount.
But 50% did not satisfy everyone equally. From the opposition, the Canarian Coalition criticized that the aid did not benefit all the territories to the same extent and negotiated, in a dialogue route in which only the nationalists and Ferraz were, 100% discount for buses and the tram from January 2023. In exchange, Sánchez guaranteed support for the budgets of the deputies Ana Oramas and Maria Fernandez.
Six months after the entry into force of the measure, the growth of public transport in the Canary Islands is a fact confirmed by data. In the first half of this year urban buses have made 12.9 million more trips than in the same period of 2022. Each month that the 100% discount has lasted, an average of 6.9 million Canarians have chosen urban buses to move around their cities.
In no community have displacements grown as much as in the Archipelago, which far exceeds the national average of 22.5%. On the other hand, Andalusia (+15.8%), Aragón (+16.7%) and Catalonia (+16.7%) are the regions where trips have increased the least.
The cost of free buses in the Canary Islands, as reflected in the general budgets, is €81 million. On paper, this investment should cover public transport expenses this year, but there is an important nuance. Up to now, the gratuity has been achieved with the help of councils and municipalities. With the containment of fuel prices, the unknown is whether the rule will be maintained over time as another citizen’s right.
