Transport reform 'should observe social function'

The transport reform should not be a financial burden on commuters and should observe the interest of workers, the General Workers' Union stressed.

While it insisted it was not against the principle of reform because it understood the importance of improving the service, the union said the sector's social function could not be forgotten.

After discussing the reform at council level, the union said the reform would result in a €1.66 fare rise for commuters who boarded a bus after 8 a.m.

The system, it explained, would impose a day ticket costing €1.40 - 46c more than the cost of two trips at current prices - for those who use the service before 8 a.m.

After 8 a.m., however, the cheapest ticket would be priced at €1.30, although valid for an unlimited number of trips within two hours. This would be 83c more than the cheapest ticket available today, a one-way fare.

And while it was clear the aim of the reform was to encourage the use of public transport, it continued, the drop in tariffs was mostly to be found if one bought block tickets.

A 90-day package, it said, would be 94c cheaper every day, a 30-day one 88c and a seven-day 12c. However, these turned out to be more expensive than current fares if not used more than twice a day.

In light of this, the union proposed that one-way tickets be retained for the sake of those who did not use the service often and that block tickets cover trips not timeframes.

However, while it insisted the union did not understand the tariffs and had misinterpreted them, the Transport Ministry said it must appreciate that the reform was intended to benefit frequent commuters.

Reacting to the union's analysis, it clarified that if a ticket for €1.40 was bought before 8 a.m., it would still be valid after that time.

Moreover, those who bought a three-month ticket would actually save an average of 2c a day. Students would save 3c daily. The elderly, on the other hand, would pay the same amount they currently do.

The ministry also said the union was mistaken when it said that one-way tickets were not available. Despite being valid for only two hours, they cost 65c to travel to neighbouring localities and €1.30 for the remainder.