The president of the Lanzarote Tourism Federation, Susana Pérez, held a meeting this Tuesday with the Minister of Transport of the Cabildo, Domingo Cejas, to address the main concerns of the sector in relation to public transport, both regular and taxi, with special focus on the airport and tourist areas.
Regarding regular transport, the employers' association was interested in the details of the upcoming tender that will govern the award of this service, and positively assessed that the Cabildo has already approved the feasibility study, due to the important technical and legal work involved. "From the Tourism Federation we are committed to sustainable mobility, and this tender is an opportunity to respond to the demands of the population and workers who travel to their jobs, as well as tourists who visit different parts of the island," said Susana Pérez.
In this sense, the meeting expressed the need to increase the frequency of buses on routes to Playa Blanca, with a significant need for workers in the sector. "Although frequencies have been increased during peak hours, we believe that buses should pass at least every 20 minutes, as is already the case in other tourist areas such as Costa Teguise or Puerto del Carmen," she said.
In addition, she stressed that hotel and restaurant workers who finish their day at 12 midnight do not have access to public transport, as the urban (circular line) ends at ten at night and the interurban has the last departure at 11:55 p.m.
Regarding the taxi service, both the Minister of Transport and the Federation shared the need to continue advancing in the decree of sensitive areas and in the joint provision of the service, in order to respond to the needs and demand at the airport, the port and in different centers and tourist resorts of the island, where a more efficient and sustainable service must be provided.
"We continue to insist that coordination between municipalities must be improved. It is not acceptable that a taxi that takes a passenger from Playa Blanca to the airport has to return empty, and vice versa, while there are queues of users waiting," said Susana Pérez, who has conveyed to the Minister the complaints they have received in recent months, especially from businessmen in Playa Blanca, but also from other parts of the island, such as Puerto del Carmen, La Santa, Famara or Costa Teguise, which has a deficit in taxi coverage on Sundays, coinciding with the market.
Meeting with the Mayor of Yaiza
After the meeting with the Minister, Susana Pérez also held a meeting with the Mayor of Yaiza, Óscar Noda, to discuss the specific situation of the taxi service in that municipality. During the meeting, the president of the Federation shared the complaints of accommodation establishments and hospitality and restaurant businesses, for waits of up to 40 minutes to get a taxi in Playa Blanca.
"The long wait at the switchboard has meant on several occasions that the accommodation establishment has to take the client directly to the airport to avoid missing the flight," said the president of the employers' association, adding the damage that this deficient service also causes to restaurant businesses that are located in more remote areas, outside the tourist center, which lose customers because they cannot get a taxi to arrive.
This situation also affected Puerto Calero, which for several weeks this summer had no taxis available after 12 midnight, which harms the customers of the hotels in the area, but also the hospitality and leisure businesses.
After the two meetings held this Tuesday, the Tourism Federation will continue working with the Cabildo and the town councils to achieve a sustainable and efficient regular public transport and taxi service that meets the needs of Lanzarote.
