The Albufeira City Council yesterday approved a proposal to continue sharing the value of urban transport network passes (GIRO), in 2024, this time, with the support of PART – Tariff Reduction Support Program.
Since concessioned this urban transport service to a private company, in 2022, the Municipality of Albufeira decided to reimburse 45% of the value of social passes. This decision was linked to the fact that the Chamber, which had been operating GIRO since 2012, spent 10 years without updating tariffs, in order to support network users.
With the entry of a private operator, in November 2022, the table was updated, but the municipality decided to allocate 223 thousand euros to the contribution of almost half of the value of the passes, until the end of 2023 – a value, meanwhile increased by 88 thousand euros, due to the high demand for the service.
It is this support that is now renewed, but with a relevant difference: the municipality will have to invest less money, around 179 thousand euros, to provide the same support to the population, throughout 2024, thanks to support from PART – Programa Support for Tariff Reduction.
According to the Albufeira Chamber, the municipality saw a request approved by AMAL – Algarve Intermunicipal Community, for this entity to share the value of the passes, using PART – Tariff Reduction Support Program, «similar to what already happens with other urban transport services in the Algarve».
AMAL decided to “share 20% of the sale value of the passes to the public” in Albufeira.
After guaranteeing the PART contribution, the Albufeira Chamber approved «to grant a contribution to the value of the passes in the estimated maximum amount of 179 thousand euros, from January 1, 2024 until the end of that year, and from From March the contribution will only apply to people who live, work or study in the municipality», according to Albufeira City Council.
This is because it will be in March that «the entire contractual procedure relating to the total contribution will be transferred to AMAL, which will pay 20% of the value of the contributions and the Municipality of Albufeira will bear the remaining amount».
To request reimbursement, users will have to present “proof of tax address or certificate issued by the Parish Council of the area of residence; document issued by the employer, certifying that they work in the municipality and document issued by the School Group, certifying that the child or young person resides in the municipality of Albufeira».
According to José Carlos Rolo, mayor of Albufeira, this is «a measure that aims to complement and/or create additional support for the municipality's economic recovery in the post-pandemic period, in a sustainable way and based on reasons of municipal public interest» .
The Albufeirense mayor also explained that, during 2023, it was found that some of the passes are used for a short period of time, between 1 and 2 months, and in many cases only for a few days of the month, with a greater incidence in the months of July and August, «which leads us to believe that many of these users are tourists and not regular users, which represents an investment in terms of the respective contribution of approximately 46 thousand euros from January to October 2023», something that justifies the limitation access to reimbursement for residents.
«Until the contribution to support the tariff reduction by AMAL comes into force, the Municipality will be responsible for contributing the 20% to be borne by the aforementioned entity, in an estimated maximum of 128.875 euros, a sum that will be inappropriate, as soon as the aforementioned support between in force", explains the municipality.
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