Green light for island-wide bus scheme

PARLIAMENT yesterday gave the thumbs-up to the launch of an island-wide bus service, but decided to postpone the scheme’s implementation until September.

In the intervening months, the government will have to settle the rate of compensation given to bus companies not wishing to join the new system, known as OSEL.

The snag so far had been the refusal of most of the shareholders of the Nicosia Urban Buses Corporation to acquire a stake in OSEL because of concerns over the profitability of the project. The company fears the new system will make enough money to generate dividends.

Current shareholders of OSEL, representing about 30 per cent of buses in the Nicosia district, have urged the Urban Buses Corporation to join them, but on condition that only about 50 (out of 130) of the latter’s vehicles enter the scheme.

Initially, it was proposed that €100,000 would be given as compensation for each bus left out of the scheme, although that figure has since dropped significantly.

Under the scheme, the new buses will carry passengers around the island for as little as €10.

The plan includes an unlimited all-day ticket that can be used to travel within and between districts, while a single ticket within one district will be €1. An all day, unlimited trip ticket within one district will cost €2 and a weekly pass €10. Travelling between Larnaca and Nicosia will cost €3. It will cost €4 to travel between Nicosia and Limassol and €5 for a ticket from Paphos to the capital.

Elementary school students, children under the age of 12, soldiers and social card holders will ride the bus for free, and university students will receive a 50 per cent discount.

The government hopes that lower fares, along with more efficient and regular buses will be a strong incentive for people to start using public transport in Cyprus.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.