The first day of the 50% discount on public transport had a similar reception yesterday in the Islands. In Tenerife, like Gran Canaria, it generated in users a sensation in the field of moderate celebration. Some were happy with the initiative and others asked for absolute gratuity. «I see it as perfect. I use the monthly voucher and it will cost me half,” said Rubén González, 28, an IT company worker, at the La Laguna Interchange, where there is also a tram stop.
“The reduction seems bad to me when it is free on the Peninsula. If we all belong to the same state, we should have the same privileges.” This is how Antonio Cedrés, better known as Toni, expressed himself, who regularly uses both the bus and the tram. He was not the only one who spoke in those terms.
Inside the La Laguna Interchange, a queue formed for the sale of bonds. This was repeated at the Metropolitano de Tenerife office located next to the last stop in La Laguna, on Avenida de La Trinidad. “Yes, I came because they told me that starting today it was cheaper,” said María González when asked if her wait had something to do with the drop in prices.
«I am studying and I try to spend as little as I can; so, if I save money on this, all the better », she pointed out. He was also passing by, after getting off a tram from Santa Cruz, Eduardo. He considered the measure insufficient, but at the same time he was glad that it is at least “a little cheaper”.
In his case, he was not sure what he should do to pay less. More in detail, each month an average of around 50,000 people use the public transport pass in Tenerife. The most used is the youth subscription, with 30,687 users, a demand that is expected to increase between 10 and 15% with this measure, according to estimates by the island institution. “In the Cabildo we have enabled a 10 million euro item that will allow us to maintain the reduction in rates by 34% from January 1,” said the Minister of Mobility of the Cabildo de Tenerife, Enrique Arriaga. He considered that the effects of the reduction in the price of the bonds of buses and streetcars will be perceived above all in the coming weeks, at the beginning of the academic year at the different levels.
Yesterday, the Minister of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, Raquel Sánchez, was “satisfied” with the reception given to the entry into force of the free Cercanías (Rodalíes in Catalonia) and Renfe Media Distancia subscriptions, of which in the start of the day 94,000 were used. Raquel Sánchez, who visited the Nuevos Ministerios station in Madrid, and explained that 94,000 users have already used this Cercanías subscription, which represents an increase of almost 50% compared to the levels recorded before the pandemic.
The president of the Government, Pedro Sanchezstated in an interview on Cadena Ser that the public railway company has so far issued 425,000 free passes, which can be used until the end of the year.
The holder of the Transport portfolio also highlighted the effectiveness of this measure, included in the National Plan to combat the effects of the war in Ukraine, because it contributes to the recovery of mobility through public transport by train, “the most sustainable”. The early hours of Thursday morning took place “without incident” because the system has been able to absorb the increase in demand “normally”, explained the minister, who encourages citizens to use this free subscription. According to calculations made by the Executive, a family of four who use the Madrid suburban network to get around could save 650 euros in these four months.
The discount on bus and tram fares, which entered into force yesterday, generated a sensation in Tenerife users in the field of moderate celebration: one was happy with the initiative and others asked that transport on the Islands be free as trains from the rest of Spain. In the image above, people using the tram in Tenerife yesterday. Next to these lines, the Minister of Transport Raquel Sánchez, yesterday, at the Nuevos Ministerios station in Madrid. |
