SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 30 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Minister of Public Works, Transport and Housing of the Government of the Canary Islands, Sebastián Franquis, has agreed on Wednesday with the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda and with the island councils the regulation of the funds that the Government of Spain already has consigned in the General State Budgets (PGE) in order to implement the free public bus and tram service in the Canary Islands in 2023.
The councilor Sebastián Franquis and the transport councilors of the councils held a working meeting in Madrid with the general secretary of transport of the Ministry, María José Rallo, in which it was agreed that the 81 million euros that incorporate the PGE from 2023 to through an amendment are transferred to the regional Council.
“It has been a positive meeting because, among other issues, we have agreed with the Ministry that the Government of the Canary Islands plan and manage free public land transport, and that we, together with the councils, are going to establish the criteria for the distribution of these 81 million euros based on the needs and reality of each island”, stated Sebastián Franquis.
In addition to clarifying the management of these funds for the free subsidy and multi-journey tickets for public land transport in 2023, the counselor also explained to the Secretary General of the Ministry the doubts that have arisen among the different Canarian operators to carry out this measure with the resources included in the amendment included in the PGE.
“We continue to have serious doubts that these 81 million euros are enough to pay for all free land transport in the Canary Islands based on the information provided by the operators, and we have transferred these doubts to the Ministry,” Franquis explained.
For this reason, it has been agreed that in the first quarter of application of this measure, at the end of March, there will be another meeting with the Ministry to analyze the reality of the scope of the measure, and based on this evaluation, the Ministry is open to seeking formulas to increase financing if necessary and it is shown that the amount included in the amendment does not agree with reality, added the counselor.
Franquis assured that the Government of the Canary Islands, together with the councils, is doing everything necessary to implement the measure of free land transport with sufficient resources. “Of course we support this measure, but what we want is that it does not cause the opposite effect and that, if it is not done well, regular users of public land transport are expelled for not providing the service with the necessary quality,” he said. the.
In this sense, Minister Franquis also clarified that what is going to be financed with these funds are the payments made by bus and tram users in the Canary Islands, that is, 25% of the real cost of land transport services. The remaining 75% is financed by the councils and town halls with their resources and with the contributions that the Government of the Canary Islands also makes.
“The Canary Islands administrations pay most of the cost of this transport to be able to provide a modern and quality service like the one offered in the Canary Islands”, added the counselor. “Therefore, hearing that someone from the opposition says that the councils can contribute more resources with what they save from the bonds makes it clear that whoever says it has a deep ignorance of the measure that they have defended in their amendment and of the consequences that will have because, in no case, will those 81 million pay for the entire land transport system in the Canary Islands, they will only cover, and not completely, 25% of the total cost of the service. I insist, say that the Government and the councils “We are going to save resources with this measure is absolutely false. Citizens should not be confused with this type of statement,” added the counselor.
TRAVEL TITLES.
With regard to the travel titles to which this one hundred percent bonus will be applied, Franquis pointed out that it will be applied in line with what is expressly included in the amendment to the PGE, that is, guaranteeing free season tickets and multi-trip titles.
The regional counselor and the councils agreed to hold a new meeting in the coming days to establish the minimum number of trips that will be necessary to complete to qualify for the bonus. “The measure that is going to be established in the Canary Islands is that included in the amendment, and the amendment clearly states that what is going to be financed are season tickets and multi-trip tickets. That is what is going to be paid. I am surprised that the same who drafted that amendment now say in public statements that transportation will be free for all,” said counselor Franquis.
According to the estimates of the different Canary Islands operators, an increase of around 5 or 7% of travelers is expected with the implementation of the bonus to one hundred percent of the subscriptions, figures that are added to the 16% increase that is already registered in September with the entry into force of the 50% bonus.
AIR TICKETS
Minister Franquis has also transferred to the Ministry, in the different meetings he has had today with Rallo and with the Secretary of State, Isabel Pardo de Vera, the latest data from the Price Observatory on the price of air tickets in Canary Islands that confirm an increase of between 18% for resident tickets and 19% for non-residents, after the stabilization of the air sector after the health crisis, these increases are accentuated on dates marked as summer and Christmas.
“Once we have verified that this increase exists, we have agreed with the Ministry to create a working group to study the different possibilities to specify measures that allow greater control over these prices,” said Franquis, “the Government is already working in different options that, in addition to fitting into the legal field, achieve a perfect balance between a necessary control of the increase in prices and that, at the same time, does not affect the number of air seats offered in connections with the Canary Islands”.
The regional counselor pointed out that several options are being considered to achieve this objective, including the possibility of establishing a Public Service Obligation (OSP) on some air routes that connect with the Canary Islands, since the increase is not the same on each route.
