Larnaca bus company launches tender protest

Larnaca’s public transport company, Zenon, launched a protest on Monday against a tender for the town’s public transport given to another company, calling the transport ministry’s ruling ‘unjust’ and ‘unlawful’.

The company said they will park their buses along the Finikoudes promenade until Wednesday May 20 as part of their protest.  They added if their demands to have the tender re-evaluated are not met by Wednesday, they will park their buses outside the presidential palace in Nicosia.

Last month the company called on the government to cancel the tender procedure for the new public transport contract for the town citing irregularities in the applications of the successful tender.

The company said that the successful tender, MLKP consortium, had prepared and submitted the required business plan for the transfer and implementation of the contract on its own and not via an experienced auditing firm and an independent approved auditor, as per the terms of the tender, so the whole procedure must be considered void.

Announcing their strike on Monday, the company demanded the attorney-general look into the conditions under which MKLP gained its contract and potential manipulation by members of his office.

They also called on the auditor-general to examine how his office was excluded from a public tender, costing tax-payers €1.2 billion.

The company demanded the transport minister ‘immediately cancels’ the signing of the contract with MKLP.

 

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