The Cabildo will apply fare advantages in the public transport of buses and trams to people with disabilities and large families. The decision was advanced by the Minister of Mobility and president of Titsa, Enrique Arriaga, during the insular plenary session. The measure is a consequence of an amendment to Canarian Coalition to the proposal of the Popular Party that, once again, and there are now three, requested absolute gratuity. The motion was approved by 18 votes in favor (CC, PP and Sí Podemos Canarias) and 16 against (PSOE and Cs).
The vote was lost by the government team, but Arriaga himself made it clear that the measure will not be applied seven months before the end of the mandate because “it costs us 80 million euros, in addition to the 86 charged each year, which we do not have and would have to take out of the pocket of the people of Tenerife». His discrepancy focuses on the financing model because “they propose that we pay and then the Government of Spain pays us. That is not acceptable and we will not do it ».
The leader of Ciudadanos announced that they are working on the bonus of these groups mentioned “in order to respect the differential rates with respect to the general bonus after the 50% discount at the local level, translation of 100% for commuter trains in the rest of the state ». Nationalism, with allusions to “second class Spaniards” and interventions by Nauzet Gugliotta (PSOE) and Félix Fariña (CC) marked the debate. Between Arriaga’s accusations against Manuel Fernandez, of the PP, who defended the proposal, of being from the Populist Party. He replied sarcastically: “At least I have a game.”
The approved agreement establishes that “from November 1, 2022 and until December 31, 2023” the vouchers for recurring use of Titsa and Metropolitano “will be free and with the same conditions, in terms of use and management, that offered by the State to the rest of the country’s citizens”.
The PP proposes “that the Cabildo claim the Canary Islands Government and this, in turn, requires the State, financial compensation for the cost of offering our citizens this help.
The popular ones refer to the agreement approved unanimously, in the last debate of the State of the Island -in April-, to “extend the free use of recurrent bonuses to university students, patients of reference hospitals and people over 65 years of age once general gratuity ends.
The objective of this measure is to promote the use of public transport over private transport –something on which all forces agree–. In addition to helping certain groups in the face of the economic situation, as well as mitigating traffic collapses on motorways at peak hours – another recurring problem. For this “both the Central Government and the Government of the Canary Islands will be urged to co-finance the measure.”
Non-registered residents
There was a nod to Sí Podemos Canarias. The purples, who support the island government from outside, voted in favor and saw how an old aspiration was included. The motion includes creating a specific transport ticket for people who reside in Tenerife but are not registered.
The agreement, finally, also asks the State for a subsidy to the Autonomous Community “that allows the discount of at least 50% to be maintained on public passenger transport after the general gratuity ends.”
