Free passes for young people and ex-combatants are once again raising doubts, at a time when several entities are warning of flaws that could directly affect those who depend on public transport on a daily basis.
The National Passenger Transport Association (ANTROP) states that the State maintains a debt of more than 60 million euros related to the reimbursement of free passes for young people up to the age of 23 and for ex-combatants. The situation was confirmed by several intermunicipal communities to Diário de Notícias (DN) and is creating financial difficulties for several operators.
Financial pressure on companies
Luís Cabaço Martins, president of ANTROP, recalls that last year he had warned of the possible suspension of free passes. Now, he emphasizes again that the money does not arrive within the defined deadlines and that “operators are being penalized”.
According to the person responsible, there are delays in the social tariff intended for young people that exceed ten months. In the case of former combatants, the gap is up to two years. This lack of liquidity forces companies to resort to bank financing to maintain operations, while continuing to bear normal costs, without the majority of box office revenue being reimbursed.
How the compensation mechanism works
The system foresees that metropolitan areas and inter-municipal communities send the calculated values monthly to the Institute of Mobility and Transport, with a maximum delay of three months, according to the same source. The IMT has 15 days to communicate the amounts to the General Directorate of Treasury and Finance, an entity that has up to 30 days to make the transfers.
Despite this circuit defined in legislation, ANTROP guarantees that deadlines are not being met, accumulating delays that put the sustainability of some companies into question.
Government counters accusations
The Government denies that there are widespread delays in payments relating to youth passes. The Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing assures, according to the same source, that “free youth passes for the month of July” have been paid for, payment for which would only be due in November, as long as the data has been sent in a timely manner by operators and transport authorities.
Impact on users
According to , the financial pressure on operators raises fears about the continuity of free measures and the consequences for thousands of young students and former combatants who depend on these passes to travel daily, especially outside urban centers.
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