«More services, comfort, sustainability, attractiveness and, above all, more information for the public». These are the «positive points» of the renewed GIRO network, urban transport in Albufeira, which will be launched on December 1st and will reach more locations, have more than twice the number of buses and have a 100% electric fleet.
The summary of what will be the “new” GIRO was made yesterday, Tuesday, by the superior technician of the Albufeira City Council Suzana Gomez, in a session that took place in Albufeira.
The local authority engineer explained the advantages that the concession will bring to Translagos of Albufeira urban transport, a company associated with the group that operates VAMUS, the intermunicipal urban transport network in the Algarve.
And the main one will be the expansion of the network.
«Right now, we have 5 lines. GIRO started in 2004, with three circuits. Later, we added another line and, in 2010, we created the 5th, to serve the CP de Ferreiras station. Now, we're going to have 11 rows. With this, the number of stops will increase from the current 135 to a total of 218 and we will go from 496 places to 1331», he summarized.
«We will have new lines to Olhos d'Água and Rocha Baixinha, as well as to Guia, which will now be served by two routes: one that passes through Algarve Shopping and another that passes through the beaches, in Salgados and Galé», added Suzana Gomes.
The GIRO will also reach Malhada Velha, – «where it had not yet gone, despite already passing by Ferreiras» -, as well as Fontaínhas and Patroves.
«There are new routes. Let's move on to Guia and beyond Açoteias. The patch will be much bigger than it is now, let's extend the net to the right and to the left and pass through new sites. Even existing circuits will have new stops», illustrated, for his part, José Carlos Rolo, mayor of Albufeira.
Another issue highlighted by the mayor is that the tariff will not be increased, with the aim of «supporting the population», according to José Carlos Rolo.
Even so, there will be two distinct zones, one corresponding to the city center and most of the territory that is already served, and the other to the rest of the network, with different costs.
At GIRO de Albufeira, since 2012 «there has been no tariff increase», according to the tariff update rate that is published every year, at the option of the municipality, which since 2013 has given up large thousands of euros in revenue, since this service was exploited directly by the Chamber.
«There is an update that was never made, as it was understood that it was a benefit that was intended to be given to all users», framed, on the other hand, Suzana Gomes.
However, by granting the service to a private entity, this update will naturally take place.
Taking this into account, the Council will contribute 45% to the passes, throughout the year 2023, which will allow, for example, in Zone 1, a user to pay 18 euros instead of 31,90 euros for a monthly pass (11 instead of 19,45 for seniors), and in Zone 2 pay 21,50 instead of 41,45 euros for a regular pass and 12,80 euros for a senior pass instead of 25,30 euros XNUMX.
In addition to the 223 euros earmarked for this co-payment, next year support of 150 euros will be maintained to pay for student passes at schools in the municipality.
After all, the support given by the municipality, related to the GIRO, since 2013, amounts to 875.214 euros.
The environment is also benefiting from the change made to Albufeira's urban transport network.
«We are going to go from ten diesel buses to 23 fully electric, which will make Albufeira the first municipality at national level with 100% electric urban transport, already in 2023», illustrated Suzana Gomes.
On some lines, namely the one that serves Ferreiras station and those that go to the beaches, it will also be possible to transport bicycles.
At the moment, «five electric buses are circulating and, in the coming months, the other 18 will arrive», illustrated the mayor of Albufeira.
From the moment the 23 electric vehicles are circulating, «our emissions will become 10% of those we currently have», that is, they will decrease 10 times.
Urban transport in Albufeira will be included on the website and app of Vamus, a regional platform, which «will make it much easier to know where the stops are, what time the buses arrive at each location, if the bus is far away or not, if there was any delay, how they can load the passes, among others. All this will be done more easily than at present».
«We will also have a new ticketing system, which is easier, more practical, faster and more innovative. Tickets and passes can be purchased online, at ticket offices and at EvaKiosk», summarized Suzana Gomes.
All this information will be provided to users by a group of six young people, duly identified, who will answer questions to anyone who requests it at the start of the service.
On the other hand, the stops, whose shelters and totems will be renewed, will have a QRCODE «which will send you directly to Google Maps, in the place where the stop is located. By clicking on the stop icon, it will be possible to know exactly how much time is left for the next bus to arrive».
The contract signed between the Albufeira Council and Translagos has a duration of 10 years and will cost the municipality around 1 million euros per year. The concessionary company is not only responsible for providing the transport service, with the resulting costs, but also starts to manage the terminal and is responsible for maintaining the shelters, in addition to providing ticketing and timetable services, among others. other assignments.
Photos: Hugo Rodrigues | Sul Informação
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