A statement released by UNE – Movimento Uma Nova Esperança, led by Luís Bettencourt this afternoon criticises the cancellation of the Porto Santo Line due to essential maintenance, as it leaves Porto Santo without any maritime connection.
“We are talking about a public service. I would like the President of the Government to give me a concrete example of a public service contract that interrupts the service for 30 days or more, as has happened with the concession contract of the maritime line between Madeira and Porto Santo. If the company Horarios do Funchal decided to service all their buses over the same thirty-day period how did people get to work? Would it be legitimate for hospitals and health centres to close to the public for a day? TAP, Binter?”
Luís Bettencourt carried on by saying, “we are talking only about the displacements of Porto-Santenses, we are talking in general, Madeirans and tourists.” Moreover, “a tourist who wants to go to Porto Santo has to pay 161.40 euros, for a return ticket, it’s more expensive than going to Lisbon! So the boat doesn’t need those who don’t need it. It should be noted that during the ferry’s absence, Porto Santo is without the daily transport of fresh and other goods indispensable to local commerce and citizens in general. All sports events are cancelled as Madeiran teams refuse to travel to Porto Santo because of the high costs.” The UNE leader also asks: “what happens if a Port-Santense dies in Funchal, how is the body transported to Porto Santo?”
“When the President of the Government states that the charter of an identical ship, for a period of one month, has an unbearable cost, I question and question whether, in the initial preparation of the concession contract, there was no feasibility study that predicted this situation and that it would come to the conclusion that it would not be feasible. Was a study ever undertaken?”
“To compare this year – 2023 with January 2022 is, at the very least, to make fun of the Port-Santenses, because it is known to all that, on that date, we were still breathing remnants of the pandemic. And curious is, that the sale of the 50 tickets available per way, the responsibility of the company Porto Santo Line, is considered by the owner of the concession itself, as sufficient for the demand. How convenient! And who provided the Regional Government with the passenger figures?”
In conclusion, “in the 21st century, a leader going public to devalue the fact that an island is inaccessible and hostage to a concession contract is, at the very least, serious, and I wonder if Porto Santo is part of the Madeira Archipelago?”
“As I have said, the Porto Santo situation is prone to problems, it is the proverbial stone in the shoe scenario for the Regional Government.”
One further thing to add to this debate is the need for a secondary form of transport in case of a natural disaster. Both Madeira and Porto Santo are prone to seismic activity, and although most of this is inconsequential, a large earthquake could render both the International airports of Madeira and Porto Santo inoperable, and without another form of transport thousands of lives could be put at risk through lack of medical and general supplies.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
