Foreigners who lack a residence permit but are registered in Tenerife They will be able to have access to free vouchers to travel on public buses and trams. The Mobility Counselor of the Tenerife CouncilEulalia García, has confirmed that will accede to the request of migrant groups and will eliminate the obligation to present the Foreigner Identity Card (TIE) to be able to have these free bonuses. Only registration will be enough, which will avoid what foreign associations describe as “discrimination.”
Since last year, when free public transport came into force – first for those who made at least 15 trips a month and since September for those who made 10 trips –, groups of foreign people residing in Tenerife demanded that the island Corporation stop demanding the TIE to be able to obtain these bonuses, “adjusting to the equality of treatment and the principles of non-discrimination regarding the administrative situation of these people. One of these groups is the Venezuela Solidarity Social Association, that advises the foreign population for their regularization and registration.
These associations remember that Spain guarantees other basic services, such as health and education, to all people registered in the country, in the case of foreigners regardless of whether or not they have the Foreigner Identity Card (TIE). The same did not happen in Tenerife with public transport. The groups that denounced this “discrimination” resorted to Common Council. Its manager, Rafael Yanes, recommended that the Cabildo of Tenerife “proceed to modify the requirements for access to the Canarian Resident Bonus and its various modalities, so that all people residing in Canary Islandsregardless of their administrative situation, can access free transport vouchers on the island of Tenerife under equal conditions.
The Tenerife Corporation was the only one of the seven in the Canary Islands, as confirmed by the common representative, who requested the TIE for the free vouchers. Finally, the insular Mobility area has accepted Yanes’ suggestions and to guarantee equality for all residents, it will only ask for the NIE, which is the DNI of foreign citizens, as well as the corresponding registration certificate.
The change in criteria was announced this Monday by the institution chaired by Rafael Yanes in a statement. «The Provincial Council informs that after the recommendation made to the Cabildo of Tenerife for the modification of the conditions of free transport voucher so that all people residing in the Canary Islands can access it, regardless of their administrative situation, the Island Councilor for Mobility, Eulalia García, has announced that she is already working on its modification so that it is enough to be registered in a municipality on the Island,” says the note, which concludes: “The Deputy of the Commons congratulates the Cabildo of Tenerife for making it possible “That a vulnerable sector of the population is not excluded from this measure, thus guaranteeing the purpose for which the Canary Resident Bonus was approved.” Eulalia García confirmed this modification, which It will be launched immediately.
