The Cabildo will allocate more than 235 million euros to the new bus contract
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Between the remainder of spring and a good part of the summer, progress should be made to know in the final stretch of the year which entity will be the one that will take over the regular interurban public transport service for Lanzarote passengers. For now, the Cabildo has made agreements to make official the publication of the call, which reflects the existence of a base budget with just over 235 million euros, including indirect taxes.
The lobby’s intention is to establish a fifteen-year contractual relationship. AND Considering that guidelines have been set for the selected operator to begin its management on January 1, 2025, the link in theory should be extended until December 31, 2039. And with the added possibility that the validity of the contract could be extended for a period of two years, with an extended financial contribution.
The tender, which is already available at the European Union (EU) level, as well as on the state platform for this type of public competition, has a single lot. That is to say, based on bases drawn up and disseminated at the beginning of the current decade, it is proposed to continue with the operating system that interurban transport currently has, with Arrecife Bus as the concessionaire. Divisions by regions or municipalities have been ruled out.
And it remains to be seen what fit could be given in the contract to Arrecife’s urban transport, which depends directly on the City Council since its start-up., in the final stretch of the last millennium. And in the bases it is expected that the responsibilities assumed by the Council regarding the purchase of vehicles, as well as with regard to the installation and maintenance of preferential stops and shelters, will be defined.
The concessionaire must take charge of the management of the lines, including the hiring of personnel. In addition, she will be responsible for the daily maintenance of the bus fleet.
Seven dozen vehicles
Currently the operator has about seven dozen vehicles, the last of them put into operation at the end of 2023, which serve to cover nearly four dozen different lines. In addition, this same month the bus taxi service was launched in Haría; which is expected to also have a presence in other municipalities.
The intention of the lobbying authorities is to have these fundamentals as minimums to be respected by the operator who wins the contract.
At the very least, each year there should be at least 7 million travelers. This sum is very likely to be exceeded by the end of 2024, taking into account the progression of recent years. In 2023, as CANARIAS announced, 6.65 million users will be reached, setting a new annual record and leaving aside the registration of buses that travel only on the urban roads of the island capital.
Unemployment of the workforce is avoided, for now
It should be added that Arrecife Bus, the entity that will continue to lead intercity transportation until December 31, has agreed to develop a rotating payroll quadrant for all workers; without affecting people who already work on Fridays, Saturdays or Sundays and Mondays. With this, the drivers are giving up taking protest measures, including a possible strike this month. In case of non-compliance, the strike would take place during May, according to union sources.
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