The central government announced last June that it would discount bus tickets in communities such as the Canary Islands by 30% from September to December, to rectify later, at the beginning of this month, and say that this discount would rise to 50% for the Archipelago and would include tram journeys. In other words, a multi-trip ticket for residents would go from 38 to 19 euros per month in Tenerife, while one for special groups (young people, people with disabilities and the elderly) would see its price reduced from 30 to 15 euros.
However, it is a decision that has not finished convincing: yesterday, the plenary session of the Tenerife Cabildo approved a motion presented by the Canarian Coalition, with amendments from both the nationalists and the PP and Sí Podemos, in which it urged that said reduction outside of 100%, taking into account the figure applied to the railway networks of the Peninsula and Mallorca. That request, which will be submitted to the State Executive, had the favorable votes of the groups that made contributions to the text and the No of PSOE and Citizens, who co-govern the first Corporation of the Island.
A stance that, in the case of the Socialists, differs from that adopted by another leader of the party, the mayor of San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Luis Yeray Gutiérrez, who has defended free of trips by land public transport to equate the advantages that the peninsular and Balearic neighbors will soon enjoy with those of the islanders. However, his companions in the Cabildo were rooted in the denial of the coalition members, calling their arguments “tremendously biased, irrelevant and ridiculous”, in the words of the insular councilor Javier Rodríguez Medina.
The also head of the areas of Sustainable Development and the Fight against Climate Change recalled that, in 2018, the then president of Tenerife, Carlos Alonso (CC), announced “with great fanfare” a “revolution” in transport that, Among other measures, it included a reduction in the youth season ticket from 35 to 30 euros and in the general season ticket from 45 to 40; a proportion that in the eyes of Rodríguez is not comparable to reducing them by half, as the Government of Spain is now championing. It is for this reason, as he stated, that his group would not support the motion.
From Citizens, a partner of the PSOE in the institution, they pointed out that the formula that will be applied in a few days is an “ephemeral measure”, hence Enrique Arriaga regretted that the nationalists have entered “in the marketing of Mr. Sánchez” on the percentage . For the liberal politician, what is really important is not “having 100% if it lasts four months”, but that “whatever percentage” acquires a “permanent” character. In this sense, he alluded to the fact that the Cabildo plans to lower rates by 34% in 2023 regardless of what the State does.
The counselor María José Belda, from Sí Podemos, a party that supports the island government without management areas, was critical of what, she understands, is a “grievance” with the Peninsula. She emphasized that we should also talk about the Public Service Obligation for air transport, in reference to the wingless canaries: those islanders who, residing outside the Autonomous Community, cannot see their relatives due to the high prices of the tickets. In addition, he advocated “expanding lines, services and staff” in public transport in Tenerife.
Félix Fariña, representing the proponent group, stated that the intention of its formation is that the people of Tenerife have “the same guarantees and the same rights” as the rest of the citizens of the continental shelf and the Mediterranean archipelago. Likewise, he indicated that, if the 100% discount is achieved, hundreds of vulnerable families would be facilitated to return to school.
As for the PP, Manuel Fernández called the differentiation in discounts a “new outrage by Sánchez with the Canary Islands in general and with Tenerife in particular”, noting that the regional and insular PSOE has aligned itself with the position of defending 50%, something that made the president of the Cabildo, Pedro Martín, ugly.
