“Every maritime contract that this government has made has been to improve the quality of the service and also the prices.” The Government Delegate, Sabrina Moh, has referred to the new contract that has been put out to tender and that will enter into force in January 2025.
“Since the contract that is in force was much better than the last that the Popular Party left us and only, to show, that citizens make a comparison of how they traveled before and how they travel now, I think it is an important step, how were the boats in which they traveled when the Popular Party ruled and how are the boats that exist today,” he reflected in an interview given to Popular Television
These improvements, said the head of the Government Delegation, are due to the unprecedented commitment of the Executive of Pedro Sánchez with this matter, something that is reflected in the economic endowment. “If we want quality services, we have to budget according to the services we want and 79 million euros in a two-year contract, extendable by another two years, is the largest financial endowment that has been made,” he said.
During the interview, in addition, Moh recalled that it was this government that has guaranteed the Motril line. “We, when we were in opposition, asked the PP and the PP’s response, and here we can throw a newspaper library, it was impossible to implement a Public Service Obligation (OSP) with the Motril line. However, this government has guaranteed this line through an OSP,” he said.
“With the Popular Party we had guaranteed the lines with Malaga and Almeria, with the Government of Pedro Sánchez, we have guaranteed Malaga, Almeria and, in addition, we have Motril,” he said.
But, in addition to improving services, “we have also made a bet in this contract in terms of prices”, he said and that is that “we wanted to take another step: With the People’s Party we had 122 euros to take the car on each route and, however, in the contract that is in force we lowered it to 60 euros,” he recalled.
But, in addition, in the contract that is in tender “it has been considered that you could bet on a lower rate and it will be 40 euros what has finally been put in the car for the citizens who want to travel taking their vehicle”.
Sabrina Moh, continuing with the maritime contract, has referred to improvements that have been consolidated such as the fact that cabins with pets are guaranteed, free wifi throughout the trip, leisure areas for the little ones… “It is a contract with which we have wanted to collect all the demands that the citizens have been making, which were already contemplated almost all in this contract that is in force, but we have wanted to give it a plus with this new one, lowering the price rates,” she said.
More guaranteed flights to Almeria and Granada
The highest representative of the Government of Spain in our city, during the interview, also referred to air transport, and the request that the PP is making for the declaration of OSP lines with Malaga and Madrid.
“The lines that are under an OSP, which are those of Almería, Seville and Granada. These connections were not guaranteed”, he explained and recalled that, when the People’s Party ruled, these airlines were eliminated. “This government has guaranteed these three lines through an OSP,” he said.
It has also stressed that, from January 1, 2025, the number of weekly frequencies on the Granada line and on the Almería line will be expanded by public service obligation.
“Before we had guaranteed five weekly frequencies, that is, we had to have a minimum of five weekly frequencies, and then the company could put as many frequencies as it considered based on supply and demand. But, through this public service obligation, we will have guaranteed at least eight weekly frequencies on the Almeria line and eight weekly frequencies on the Granada line, with a minimum of 42,000 seats,” he said.
Price limitation
With regard to the routes with Malaga and Madrid, and in which there is no public service obligation, they are lines “booming and that, increasingly, have a greater number of passengers and, therefore, the a priori lines are guaranteed” so it would not be feasible to declare them OSP.
However, Moh explained that “we have seen how the Melilla-Madrid line has become more expensive, therefore, a public service obligation is being proposed with the Madrid line, in a pilot project, where we establish a maximum price limit”.
“Being a pioneering project requires even more processing than if it is a formula that has already been used”, he explained and advanced that, when it is implemented, “we will see how it works and what room for manoeuvre we can establish in the limitation of prices”.
A price limitation, he added, will be applicable to all citizens, as is the case with the rates established in the maritime contract, and, from there, residents of Melilla will have a bonus of 75%.