FREE PUBLIC TRANSPORT FOR YOUNG PEOPLE BETWEEN 12 AND 23 YEARS OLD AND THE POPULATION OVER 65 YEARS OLD IN FUNCHAL

Tobi Hughes·
Madeira News

Free passes for young students over 12 years old and up to 23 years old and over 65 years old, residing in Funchal. The two measures, which will come into force in the next Municipal Budget, were announced this morning by Pedro Calado, president of the Funchal City Council (CMF), at the conference ‘Mobility and Urbanism: Reinventing the City!’, which closes the European Mobility Week, at the Municipal Assembly.

This is an investment of 2.5 million euros by Funchal in mobility, the objective of which is to encourage the use of public transport, as well as greater mobility without using your own vehicle, especially during peak traffic periods in the city of Funchal. Funchal.

Thus, starting next year, the Funchal municipality will pay the social pass to students between 12 and 23 years old, this, it should be noted, for those over 12 years old, since up to this age the Regional Government it already does.

“We have to look at young people, especially university students, and the first measure we are going to present is to include free public transport within the municipality from 12 to 23 years old”, said the mayor, adding that the free measure will be extended, so it will also apply to the population over 65 years of age.

“We are going to encourage, through retired people, pensioners, those who have a disability pass, a free policy”, he pointed out.

Taxi for over 75s

The third measure will cover those over 75 years of age. “We are studying an agreement, especially with the taxi sector, to promote the use of up to four free journeys per month, up to a maximum value of between 10 and 12 euros”, reinforced the mayor, adding that the objective is to prevent people over 75 from staying at home and being able to carry on with their normal lives.

“Therefore, with these three measures that we are going to take both for young students, for people over 65 years old and also for people over 75 years old, we intend to promote a lot of the use of public transport, the free use of this transport and greater mobility according to with what we want, which is a city friendly to longevity and with conditions to retain young people”, he concluded.

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Tobi Hughes

17 Responses

  1. I must admit that is great news for the Madieranese who could do with some breaks due to low wages and high costs on the island.

    However, my heart goes out those locals who simply try to get home at peak periods and find the buses crammed with tourists and the buses too full to take them!

    When I’m on the island I always charge my ‘Giro’ card, so perhaps there could be some changes to when these cards can be used? Why not exclude their use at ‘peak’ times and increase the on-bus fares to stop the tourists all piling on the buses just as everyone else is trying to get home or to/from work?

    Waiting for an ‘off-peak’ bus means nothing to a tourist, but for someone who has a job to get to, simply getting on a bus is important!!!

    1. Yes I think that is a sensible suggestion and as tourists who top up their giro cards everytime we visit wouldn’t have a problem using buses out of peak times

  2. I applaud this decision. I have been coming to your beautiful island since 1973 , long before it became so popular
    I had the privilege of working with many Madeirans in Jersey for 3 years, who left their families for a whole season ( looked after by their parents) to gain employment and send their wages home.

    I really don’t think those people given the chance would want to return to that.
    Embrace the tourism . Yes its probably frustrating but which would you rather have. An empty island or a full bus

    2. If you can afford the holiday surely you can afford the bus fare
      As regulars to the island over 70 we don’t need subsidised fares

  4. Margaret, I fully endorse your comments. The point I was really making was that ‘we’ tourists can mostly pick and choose when we travel on the island, and the thought of having an extra coffee and a bit of cake to spend time so we miss a busy (or more expensive) bus is less of a hardship for us than it might be for a local who has an appointment to keep or a job to get to. Tourists need to get used to the idea that whilst we bring needed revenue to the places we visit, we have an obligation to not be a burden on the communities we so graciously spend our pennies in. We fail to do that, and we suddenly find ourselves less welcomed and more of a hindrance than a help. I love Madeira island, and find the locals equally friendly, endearing and complex. I have travelled there more times than I could recall over the past 20 years, and I never forget that during our times there, we are mere snapshots of the bigger picture. Great news that Madeirans are getting cheaper travel. – Next might be decent affordable social housing! – Or is that another topic for discussion on Madeira Island News? !!!!

    1. You’re right, we tourists can pick and choose what bus we use. But I betcha we don’t. The answer is to get the right amount of buses where and particularly when they’re needed.

  5. Yesterday 21st we went up to Monte from Funchal on the No 21 felt sorry for the locals who were waiting on the bus who had been sitting on the wall and seats at the bus stop before the driver came back, to see all the tourists barge in to the front to get on the bus and take the seats,really embarrassed and ashamed.

  6. Well and Santa Cruz that was a tourist tax and doesn’t do anything for the older population that many of of them live rural areas where the buses are nonexistent and only run by the duration of the schools . The other problem is many of them live by themselves and many of them don’t drive anymore and are oblige to ask help to their relatives or get taxis or get a bus when their time table is few and far between for the frail and older population . It was great if the supposed Santa Cruz council did create a bus only to collect and transport this older population free of any charge .

  8. Dear All,

    I just wish a fraction of the tourists who visit (anywhere) were as sensible as the respondents to this topic.

    As William pointed out, most of the tourists (but particularly those from Germany) think that being at the front of any queue is a God-given right, even if they are the last to arrive.

    Probably brought on by the “Well I pay your wages, so I’m more important” mentality.

    That’s why I think that a higher ‘peak’ bus fare exclusively for non-residents might help the crushes we so often see on the buses.

    I know from my years of people-watching the lengths folk will go to, to even shave 10 pence off the price of ANYTHING. – Brits and Germans love a ‘bargain’, and they will travel miles to sniff one out.

    Make every bus trip 1 or 2 Euro’s higher for non-concessionary bus-pass travellers during busy times, and when word gets around the gossiping tourists over owners/guests welcome meetings, there will be nobody travelling on the buses at these times, – except the locals with free or ‘season’ passes.

    Then, the locals will know what times to get buses if they wish to not be disappointed.

    This of course just means that all the buses running either side of the ‘peak’ times will be stuffed full of penny-pinching tourists!!!!!

    Best regards, and keep up the great work!!!!

    Steve

  9. At peak times would it help to reassign some of the busses on the 1 and 2 routes as 1x and 2x perhaps, and exclusively for the use of local people?
    As a regular visitor, and 80 years old, I always stroll from the hotel district into Funchal. I’m sure many other visitors would benefit from doing the same at peak times.

  10. Pete,

    Good idea, but I bet the bus companies would say that it would cost too much to run the extra services, especially if most folk were using concessionary passes on these buses.

    I bet also that most dim-witted tourists would completely ignore the ‘X’ designation, and flag these services down willy-nilly. – Sorry, I have a poor opinion of ‘us’ tourists, but many act as if they have sent their brains on a separate holiday! – I think I go home with RSI from shaking my head in disbelief at their antics dozens of times a day!

    If they did go for the extra services, perhaps a designation like we used to have at school, with ‘Scholars’ services? – Perhaps ‘Moradores’ (Locals)?

    Also, as a deterrent to the dim-minded tourist, these services not allowing the use of Giro cards and having a ‘premium’ cash fare for non-residents?

    Finally, your comment on ‘strolls’. I agree with you whole-heartedly about us all getting some exercise, but I draw the line at the ‘back to base’ slow, gradual heart-attack-inducing slope which you have to contend with going past Santa Catarina Park, towards the Governor’s residence. – Especially with two full bags of shopping in tow!!!! – I’m getting breathless just at the thought of it!

    Regards,

    Steve

    ps I’m not implying that I STAY at the Governor’s residence when on holiday on Madiera, just that I have to pass by it!

    1. Stephen
      I have to be honest, my old legs don’t always feel up to a “stagger” back, especially on those occasions when staying at the Savoy Gardens Hotel, but there are plenty of taxis to take the strain.

  11. Pete,

    I concur. I’m ‘only’ 60, but still the hills and slopes of Madeira do ‘puggle’ me, especially when the Sun is shining. That’s why I always keep my Giro card well-charged, and am one of the many tourists who hog all the spaces on the buses instead of the locals…… Having said that, I’d also be the one to use a ‘peak’ tariff as an excuse to stop off for an extra Coffee, Cake and possibly a Poncha to kill time. I always like to make good of a bad situation….. All the best, Steve.

  12. Well then the tourist should try the get the no existent bus or far in between service to Santo Antonio da Serra that goes from Santa Cruz up to Santo da Serra it is excellent journey .??

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