DESPITE THE new airport shuttle bus service recording booming trade, residents and tourists in the Famagusta region are perplexed as to why they have been excluded from the scheme.
As it was announced yesterday that airport buses from Nicosia, Paphos and Limassol had been used by more than 20,000 people, questions have again been raised as to why Ayia Napa was left out.
One senior tour operator told the Cyprus Mail that omitting the buses from the eastern resorts, which make up the popular most destinations, was completely baffling.
“I have asked several officials why the Protaras, Paralimni and Ayia Napa region is not served by the new airport buses; they shrug their shoulders. Don’t you find it strange that the most popular and famous resorts on the island don’t have an airport shuttle, but Limassol and Paphos do?” he said.
Debate about the lack of service in the south east has been rampant for months on local internet forums, with both locals and tourists all agreeing that an airport shuttle would benefit everyone.
“When are we going to get the shuttle service serving Famagusta district? They should try it out, even for a test run,” wrote one disgruntled local.
Another poster wrote, “Somebody would make millions going back and forward to Larnaca airport with packed buses, seems strange that it is not happening. Maybe I will buy a bus.
“Yet again Napa has been neglected and has been treated as the poor cousin of everywhere else.”
Speaking to the Cyprus Mail, Kyriacos Kyriacou from the CTO confessed that he had no idea why Ayia Napa was missed out of the new bus routes.
“I really don’t know why there is no service. Probably they did not find a company to provide this service, maybe there was no demand, honestly I don’t know,” he said.
He did, however, say that if there was enough demand expressed by the public that it would be something he would encourage for the future.
“It would be great if there was demand, it would help the whole tourist product and that is what we aim to do.”
Pambos Kapnos, Director of Kapnos Airport Shuttle, the company operating the service to and from Nicosia also thinks that a south east route would be beneficial for everyone.
“Our service has been really successful and I think Ayia Napa needs one as well, especially with the large tourist trade. It is of course a great idea to run a regular bus from there to the airport,” he said.
If tourists do not travel to Cyprus as part of a pre-booked package deal, they usually have to find their own way to Ayia Napa, a journey which currently costs around €50 each way in a taxi.
The existing bus route is infrequent and does not run after 4.30pm.
A spokesman from Green Line Buses, which is the only coach firm that provides a local link with the airport, confirmed that service from the two popular resorts was very limited.
“We only provide an airport service at 8.30, 10.30, 15.30 and 16.30 six days a week, that’s it. No Sundays or bank holidays either,” she said.
Nobody from the Ministry of Transport was available for comment.
