The government authorized a extraordinary increase in the financing of public passenger transport services covered by the Support Program for Tariff Reduction, in approximately €33.5 millionaccording to an order published this Thursday in the Diário da República.
According to the order, “considering that the effects and severity of the pandemic crisis on the mobility system persisted throughout 2021 and the financing gaps for 2021 not covered by the support already granted”, the Government justifies the allocation of a “additional financing” that allows transport authorities to ensure the financing and operation of public passenger transport services.
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In this way, for an extraordinary increase in the financing of public passenger transport services, an amount of €33,494,109.61coming from the management balances of the General Directorate of Energy and Geology, can be read in the office.
This financing will be subject to supervision and inspection by the Mobility and Transport Authority (AMT), which ensure that there will be no overcompensation in the set of measures implemented and determine the return of funds by the operatorsif this has happened.
The funds are transferred by the Environmental Fund to the transportation authorities, upon presentation by them of a declaration that proves that the operators who have funds to receive have fulfilled their obligations to inform the AMT, referring to the amounts already paid. and owed to each. of the operators in their area of intervention and committing to transfer the funds to the operators in proportion to the amount of the debt and compliance with the information duties.
Support now authorized It arrives after another extraordinary reinforcement of 96.5 million eurosauthorized in 2021 “to minimize the problems of definancing the public passenger transport system, as a consequence of the most severe scenario of the pandemic verified until the 3rd quarter of 2021”.
The order, signed by the Minister of the Environment, Duarte Cordeiro, and by the Secretary of State for the Budget, Sofia Batalha, regulates the terms under which the transfer may be made by the Environmental Fund to further strengthen supply levels in the public transportation systems covered by the Fare Reduction Support Program (PART).
Source: Observadora
