STAFF REPORTER
THE ministry for the Environment has given free rides to the end of December for the three people who have been most loyal to public transport services over the last twelve months, Antoni Verger Transport director on Palma City Council confirmed yesterday.
Verger also said that the privilege will be extended separately to the three people who have made most use of Palma's public bicycle service.
During the award ceremony yesterday at Palma's Central Station, Verger said that the ministry's two key strategies for encouraging the use of public transport had been a reduced fare enabling passengers to swop from one mode of transport to another, as well as the use of a public bicycle service which was free for people who had undertaken train or metro journeys.
The integral fare system, said Verger, had enabled people to get about more at a cheaper rate and that the bicycle service had been a link for people wanting to get to their work or studies once having left the train or metro. There are still many people who are unaware of these services because they're fairly new, said Verger, adding that the more people get to know about them, the more will use them. He commented that public transport had flourished in the Islands over the last 15 years.
The awards made yesterday at Palma Central Station were part of the celebration of European Transport Week.