Government to secure 100 buses for use in capital

By Angelos Anastasiou

The government will buy or lease 100 small buses which it will give to the companies operating bus routes within cities so that old buses can be scrapped, transport minister Marios Demetriades said on Tuesday.

Speaking after a House Watchdog committee session, Demetriades acknowledged the problem of old buses on certain routes and revealed that his ministry has decided to press ahead with buying or leasing 100 new ones.

“We hope the process will be concluded before year’s end,” he said.

He added that, if necessary, more and larger buses will be bought in due time.

But with regard to who will bear the cost of the buses, Demetriades said the companies are subsidised by the state, and thus even if they bought the buses, their cost would again burden the government.

“We have decided that, instead of having the companies buy the buses, we will buy or rent them ourselves,” he said. “That is what happens in other countries.”

He pointed out that the buses will also be available to other companies when new bus-route operating tenders are invited from 2020 onwards.

“We may rent used buses, up to 10 years old, for which the companies will undertake maintenance,” he said.

Asked about the prospect of having a GPS system on buses, Demetriades said the goal is for this technology – which will be compatible with smart-phone apps – to be installed by the end of the year.

“Since we won’t be installing electronic signs on every bus-stop, at least initially, arrival information should certainly be available via the internet,” he said.