Viana-Porto bus will advance by direct agreement and local authorities share expenses

The Intermunicipal Community (CIM) of Alto Minho wants to launch, next week, a direct adjustment to guarantee the road connection between Viana do Castelo and Porto and, vice versa, supported by the councils of the two cities.

Speaking to the Lusa agency, the president of the CIM of Alto Minho, Manoel Batista, explained that the simplified hiring procedure will be submitted, on Monday, for approval by the Intermunicipal Council.

“We want the service to be a reality as quickly as possible”, maintained the leader of CIM do Alto Minho, based in Ponte de Lima and which brings together the 10 municipalities of the district of Viana do Castelo.

The direct adjustment, to be approved, explained Manoel Batista, “requires the opinion of the competent entities to be able to move forward”, estimating that this could happen during the next week, but did not reveal the base value of the procedure.

“The parts of the procedure are being finalized to be presented on Monday, at a meeting of the Intermunicipal Council. We are closing schedules and stops,” he said.

According to socialist Manoel Batista, the participation of the CIM of Alto Minho “is only in the preparation of the direct agreement, and the cost of the interregional career will be borne by the chambers of Viana do Castelo and Porto”.

The president of the CIM of Alto Minho said that the direct agreement being prepared foresees “two frequencies per day, one in the morning and one at the end of the day, in both directions, guaranteed by a bus, to guarantee the needs of users in travel between home and work and vice versa”.

The road connection should serve between 55 and 65 passengers, with the cost of monthly passes still being finalized depending on the number of stops on the route.”

“It also depends on the demand that the new public transport service will have”, he highlighted.

In March, the two presidents, Luís Nobre and Rui Moreira, respectively, agreed to “act directly to resolve the problem, as the service falls into the express category, which cannot be regulated under public service concessions”.

In January, users of the express bus on the A28 motorway between Viana do Castelo and Porto, who paid 88 euros per month, now pay 171.60 euros (22 days x 2 trips x 3.90 euros), due to a reduction in the support given by the Viana do Castelo Chamber.

On January 30, users of public transport in Alto Minho asked the president of the Porto Metropolitan Area (AMP) for help in implementing a “single pass”, claimed since 2019, to avoid the 200 euros per month when traveling between regions.

On January 9, the CIM of Alto Minho explained that, with the extinction of the public route connecting to Porto, “express passenger transport services that are currently on the liberalized market are not financeable through PART [Programa de Apoio à Redução Tarifária]”.

Manoel Batista said that another railway solution is being studied, starting in September.

“There is a possibility that the discount on the national rail pass could affect some sections of the intercity train with low demand. The national rail pass costs 49 euros and this could also be a solution that we are working on with CP and other entities”, he added.