The Minister of Transport, Communications and Works, Giannis Karousos, will grant a free student ticket for the whole school year tomorrow to the 12-year-old student of American Cypriot origin, who lives in Limassol.
The decision was made, after an incident that saw the light of day yesterday, and concerns a 12-year-old schoolgirl who -according to her brother's complaint- was not allowed by the driver to enter the bus, because she did not have the 70 cents required for payment of the fare.
It is recalled that the student's brother in his complaint attributed the fact that the student "is of American Cypriot origin and color", with the competent Minister of Transport immediately condemning such a possibility.
Specifically, Mr. Karousos in a post on social media stated that "racist discrimination and such behaviors are indulgently unacceptable and are reprehensible."
"I have been informed about the incident and we are investigating it in order to avoid similar incidents. "Personally, I will seek a meeting with both the student and her family and she will be given a free student ticket for the entire school year", he noted.
Meanwhile, the Limassol Passenger Transport Company, in its announcement yesterday, rejects any hint of racist or other discrimination by the company's staff, indicating that "its social contribution in the 11 years of its operation clearly proves the opposite".
According to the Company, "on the same route, as in most student routes, students of many nationalities who attend our schools have been transported by EMEL for years, without any discrimination and the same happens on this route".
Meeting tomorrow at 17:30 with the family
Speaking to KYPE, the Scientific Associate of the Minister of Transport, Christos Papamichael, stated that Mr. Karousos will meet tomorrow at 17:30 with the student's family, as well as the student, to whom he will deliver the free student ticket for the entire school year. .
According to Mr. Papamichael, the driver of the bus will also attend the same meeting.
According to Mr. Papamichael, instructions had been given before the beginning of the school year, while the companies were also informed that any children who did not manage to issue their card would board the bus normally and go home, so as not to be exposed on the street.
As EMEL emphasizes, "there are clear and unequivocal instructions to drivers to show understanding in such cases" and that "in the 11 years that EMEL has been operating the student routes, it has never previously reported such an incident".
In addition, the company notes that for this driver, with a total service of 26 years as a bus and student transport driver, so far there have been no other complaints about his professional behavior.