The PCP's proposal, approved unanimously, suggests a pilot project in at least two school groups in September and that until then a school transport service for the city, operated by Carris, should be studied.
Last week, the Lisbon City Council unanimously approved a proposal by the PCP councillors to create a dedicated school transport service, provided by Carris. The new offer will now be studied for implementation through a pilot project in September in at least two of the city's schools.
"The current situation in the city of Lisbon, due to the lack of a dedicated school transport service, means that many families opt to use their private vehicles to transport their children to and from school"reads the communists' proposal. The PCP restores the survey Hands in the air carried out in schools in 2020, reporting that more than 50% of children go to school by car.
"Since it's not possible to have a school in every neighborhood in the city, this means regular home-to-school and school-to-home trips for many thousands of children and young people, forcing their families into very intense commutes." In the city of Lisbon, there are currently 112 schools for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd cycles, which represent around 50,000 children and young people.
The PCP's approved proposal suggests that the Municipal Mobility Directorate should start as early as 2022, in conjunction with Carris, a study of a school transportation service, "with dedicated resources or by leveraging the integration of existing services"and in conjunction with the city's schools, culminating in a pilot project in "at least" two educational establishments in September. The Communists proposed studying possible synergies, the investments that might need to be made, the social needs of the territories and of the students in the groups and also special transportation circuits with a view to including students with special health needs.
Speaking to the Lusa news agency, João Ferreira, a PCP councillor with no portfolio in the Lisbon City Council, said that this project is also about "it's also an important step towards supporting families, it's a way of supporting families who also gain from the existence of this service, so families gain, the environment in the city gains, these are fundamentally the two gains we can have with this proposal". "This will be free transportation, that's the idea"said the communist councillor.
The PCP's proposal for school transport received contributions from various political forces, including the PSD, PS, Livre and BE, and "the overwhelming majority" These suggestions were incorporated into the final version of the initiative, said João Ferreira.
