Viana do Castelo paid double what it received from the Government to support transport

The mayor of Viana do Castelo guaranteed today that the municipality will pay, in 2023, double what it received from the Government under public transport support programs.

“Of the money guaranteed to us for 2023, we only received 600 thousand euros and we have already paid twice as much, around 1.2 million euros, to the operators. We are making an additional effort in a commitment that the Government decided, and rightly so, to subsidize transport. I cannot create more pressure on the Chamber’s finances by anticipating more than I anticipated”, stated Luís Nobre.

The mayor was referring to the compensations granted by the State within the scope of the Support Program for Fare Reduction in Public Transport (PART) and the Support Program for the Densification and Reinforcement of the Public Transport Offer (PROTransP).

The issue was raised today by the CDU councilor, Cláudia Marinho, in the period before the agenda of the council meeting, with the remaining opposition, the independent Eduardo Teixeira, Paulo Vale, from the PSD, and Hugo Meira, from the CDS-PP, requesting explanations on the matter following a statement from the AVIC group sent to all members of the municipal executive.

In the document, to which Lusa had access, the group, which includes the companies Transcunha – Transportes Rodoviários de Viana, Auto Viação do Minho and António dos Prazeres da Silva & Filho, announces the suspension of discounts on fares for social passes and transport tickets road transport on urban and interurban lines in Viana do Castelo, citing a debt owed by the municipality of 530 thousand euros.

Of that amount, 280 thousand euros relate to 2023 and 250 thousand to 2024.

At the end of the chamber meeting, Luís Nobre explained to journalists that the municipality has not yet received the money for the last three months of 2023 and the amounts identified for 2024 cannot be transferred because the operators have not signed the new contracts.

Until 2023, subsidies were granted under PART and ProTransp and, from 2024, under Incentiva + PT.

“In the past, compensation for each bus leaving the garage was 250 euros, per day, up to 150 kilometers. From 2024, what was proposed to operators was 285 euros for up to 150 kilometers. There were operators who accepted and operators who did not sign the contract because they wanted a value of 318 euros. There are no resources for that. I can’t take on resources I don’t have,” he explained.

The socialist mayor said that “all decisions related to public transport have been made by the Intermunicipal Community (CIM) of Alto Minho and, in solidarity, between the municipalities and each other”.

“This is compensation, it is not a requested service. It is a sum included in the State Budget, which is transferred to the CIM of Alto Minho and which is divided among the municipalities that make up the structure. From then on, each municipality is responsible for delivering the respective contribution to the operators”, he specified.

Luís Nobre said that, in view of the suspension, by the AVIC group, of discounts on tariffs for social passes and road transport tickets on urban and interurban lines in the municipality, he issued an order that determines that “in situations in which operators refuse to guarantee reducing the cost of tickets, users can go to the municipality to receive reimbursement”.