The Formentera Council will increase public transport frequencies by 2024, according to Verónica Castelló, the island’s councillor of mobility. The goal is to increase frequencies both on weekdays and weekends on line 1 (L1), which runs around s’Estany Pudent, and line 2 (L2), which connects the port of La Savina with Pilar de la Mola, starting next January.
The answer of the Consell is related to the lawsuit made public yesterday by 16 citizen associations of different kinds that demand free, more frequent and sustainable transportation.
Castelló reiterated that the intention of the government team was to implement this increase in frequencies last October, but the “it has turned out to be totally impossible because by October 31 it had already been exhausted…” the item with which the Consell had to pay for public transport throughout the year 2023″. For this reason, he pointed out that “we will have to resort to other items of the institution to be able to offer the bus service until December 31”.
He pointed out that for the whole of this year the budget was cost of public transport of 625,000 euros625,000, which included free service for all types of users throughout the year. However, in August it was estimated that this budget would be exhausted one month laterthe Consell had to limit the number of users to whom the 100% service bonus could be applied, it points out in a note.
Thanks to these changes, the Mobility area has ensured that managed to stretch the budget item of 625,000 euros until October 31, while in November and December have run out of funding.
Verónica Castelló said: “Since October 29, the frequencies for L1 and L2 have been recovered, the same as those operated by the company awarded the service last year”. She added that they have also studied “the possibility of a frequency extension to improve service in winter and thus be able to continue increasing the number of public transport users throughout this year”. Improvements that could not be completed because the government team found “the coffers of the Consell empty”. This statement only affects chapter two of the budget, which corresponds to current expenditure, since the Consell still has 10 million euros of surplus in its coffers. But the consellera has pointed out that this situation “has made it necessary to request two budget extensions…” to meet daily expenses and overdue invoices”.
He recalled that the State raised the issue of a public transport subsidy programming an economic aid of 43 million for the entire Autonomous Community of which the Consell should receive 429,000 euros, “but the final provisions that collect the requirements to be met are difficult to justify by the simplicity of the current fare system and the lack of digitization of the same”. The consellera has made no reference to the income represented by the Formentera.eco fee (the limitation of vehicle entry in summer) that should be destined to sustainable mobility.
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