Development considers that the measure announced by the central Executive until December 31 is insufficient and will assume the increase in cost
The regional government will extend the 30% discount on bus bonds, in addition to the measure announced by the central government, until the summer of next year. The Minister of Public Works, José Ramón Díez de Revenga, assured this Tuesday, after holding a working meeting with those responsible for the interurban transport concession companies in the Region of Murcia, that all the multi-trip bonds of regionally owned bus concessions will be applied the discount from September 1 to June 30, 2023, instead of until December 31, 2022, as set by the Executive of Pedro Sánchez. Díez de Revenga justified the measure by assuring that “the situations of economic difficulty suffered by families will not end on December 31, as announced by all economic study agencies.”
In addition, he estimated that the extension of the discount occupying “the entire school year next year” will be more effective in achieving the objective of promoting the use of public transport to the detriment of the private vehicle, a change that in “only four months is not achieved ».
This reduction will be accompanied, he said, by “a whole series of measures” to improve the service and shipments of the intercity service known as Movibús, on which he recognized that the Executive is “in full transformation” for “a comprehensive reform” of the same.
To finance the measure, Díez de Revenga pointed out that the Executive will initially have its own funds pending the transfer from the central government, of which he assured that he did not know the amount. “We do not know how much money they are going to transfer to us or if it covers 30%, because the distribution criteria established by the central government has nothing to do with the number of travelers who benefit from the measure.”
The meeting was attended by those responsible for the Alsa concession companies, Valeriano Díaz; Interbus, Alfredo Soldevilla; and Orbitalia, Juan Francisco Gómez, and the director of the Froet travel department, Antonio Torres, as well as the general director of Mobility, Marina Munuera.
Until December 31, the cost estimated by the Ministry will be 400,000 euros, although the director acknowledged that it is very difficult to make estimates with the service undergoing changes and incorporating new lines. Thus, the counselor did not venture to give a figure of what the extension of the discount could mean until the summer of next year. The central government has arranged 200 million to be distributed among all the communities. “What we know is that the transfer of the money will not happen until the fourth quarter of this year,” he noted. “We have decided to take a step forward, regardless of the money transferred to us.” He also highlighted the discomfort of some concessionaires with the gratuitousness of the Cercanías, considering it unfair competition.
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