The Cabildo of Tenerife, governed by the Canarian Coalition and the Popular Party, is committed to “implementing, by the academic year 2024-2025, a shuttle and regular transport service provided by the public company TITSA, connecting the South and North of the Island to the University of La Laguna campus. The routes and schedules will be tailored based on the existing demand.”
Last week, this newspaper reported on the proposal put forward by David Bonalde and Andrea Carrero, two Business Administration students at the University of La Laguna, who highlighted the necessity for shuttle buses linking various southern towns to the University of La Laguna.
Following substantial support from various sectors, the island government has introduced this initiative to address the significant challenge of university mobility in both the northern and southern regions of the Island.
The proposal underscores the fact that the ULL is the primary higher education institution on the Island, catering to around 25,000 individuals, over 20,000 of whom are students. It emphasises the importance of “developing a Mobility Plan in collaboration with the University, promoting sustainable mobility educational programs, and launching awareness campaigns” within the university community. Moreover, the proposal stresses the necessity to “enhance and streamline the Island’s public transport system as part of a multifaceted passenger transport infrastructure and services offering.”
Avoiding Politicization of the Initiative
Eulalia García, the councillor for Mobility, elaborated on the proposal to DIARIO DE AVISOS and commended the efforts of the young students in driving this project forward.
“David and Andrea have done an outstanding job. Their proposal is based on solid data and figures. Clearly, their work needs further refinement, and now it is our responsibility to deliver what the citizens demand,” she remarked.
The island’s PSOE councillor, Aaron Afonso, revealed to the newspaper that his party’s initial plan was to present the project in a plenary session. However, due to the students’ reluctance to “politicize the proposal,” the Socialist Party decided against introducing the plan during the meeting last Monday.