Estepona town hall renews public transport contract for another year
The budget has been increased to 700,000 euros and includes, among other things, the replacement of part of the fleet
Estepona town hall has announced an increase in the budget for public transport, after renewing the contract with the Avanza company for another year. The investment for the next year reaches 697,634 euros, which is 96,000 more than the last contract.
"The aim is to improve the service, which includes strengthening controls to ensure compliance with the timetables," the town hall said.
However, the contract does not include an increase in interurban routes, which has been criticised by the socialist party (PSOE). According to PSOE, the three routes that have been operating until now (Avenida Litoral-Beverly Hills; Avenida Juan Carlos I-Hospital-Bermuda Beach; and Estepona-Cruce Benahavís) are not enough to serve all passengers.
PSOE spokesperson Emma Molina stated that "the increase in the contract does not really imply an improvement in the service, because the lines are not being extended, which is what users have been demanding for some time, especially those who use the line to San Pedro". According to Molina, the line to San Pedro (79) has the highest volume of passengers, which leads to recurrent collapses.
The spokesperson criticised the town hall for increasing the budget but, at the same time, not improving routes, frequencies, stops and provision of information. "Residents in the eastern area, which is the most populated, will continue being unable to get to work, while tourists will keep being left stranded on bus stops," Molina said.
The town hall has confirmed that some of the current buses will be replaced by others of larger size and number of seats that will start operating in the coming weeks. However, it is not clear whether the buses will be new or second-hand.
The contract stipulates that "Avanza will be responsible for the complete maintenance or replacement of the vehicles and the management of complaints and suggestions from users". The town hall's responsibility is to carry out regular inspeections and make sure that the service provided to passengers is of the highest quality. In order to do this, municipal workers will survey people.
The town hall is already working on the preparation of a tender for the next concession, "which will be for a longer period and for a higher amount, with the aim of improving the service in response to the growing demands of the population".
