The government delegate in Galicia, Pedro Blanco, put in value on Thursday in Barbadás the more than 23 million euros that the central government transfers to the Xunta de Galicia to finance 30% of interurban transport subscriptions by bus. He did so in the course of a visit to the Ourense City Hall in which he was accompanied by the mayor of the town, Xosé Carlos Valcárcel, and the deputy delegate of the Government in Ourense, Emilio González.
The delegate reported that Galicians and Galicians can benefit from a 50% discount on their tickets in the case of metropolitan transport. “The Government is paying most of the discount on these transports, specifically 30%, which are of regional competence and ownership.” These discounts, which reach 85% of the population, are the “sign of identity of a government that looks to the future of sustainable mobility, that complies with what it promises and that is a pioneer in the advancement of terrestrial infrastructures,” he said.
During the visit, Pedro Blanco highlighted the strategic importance of bus transport due to the dispersion of the population and recalled that Galicia has 3,400 interurban transport lines throughout its territory. In this line, he regretted that a city council such as Barbadás, like Ourense and the other municipalities in its metropolitan area are the only ones in Galicia that do not have a metropolitan transport area of their own, so he urges the Xunta de Galicia to “comply with its commitments to the province of Ourense” and finally develop “a metropolitan transport of the 21st century that serves the real needs of the population”.
This measure would allow municipalities such as Amoeiro, Punxín, Coles, Toén, Taboadela, Paderne, San Cibrao or Pereiro de Aguiar to stop fighting after more than 20 years of neglect of the Xunta for an indispensable public service and that Ourense is no longer the only Galician city that does not offer this service.”
“Currently more than 160,000 Ourensanas and Ourensanos lack this essential service in order to grow in population, to seek demographic growth, to improve mobility and to combat the demographic crisis. 160,000 citizens who deserve the same treatment as the rest of Galicians and Galicians,” the delegate added.