The Minister of Transport, Communications and Works, Giannis Karousos, addressed a press conference on 5G WiFi on the buses and stops of Cyprus Public Transport.
The same greeting:
It is with great pleasure that I accepted the invitation of Cyprus Public Transport to attend today's event, which marks the upgrade of public transport in the Provinces of Nicosia and Larnaca.
Regular bus services have been provided by Nicosia Public Transport and Larnaca Public Transport for the past 1,5 years and the positive response from the citizens has been evident in the sales of cards and tickets, which are showing an increasing trend. Specifically, according to the latest statistics, the number of passengers has increased by 27% in December 2021 compared to the corresponding period of 2020 for Nicosia, and 57% for Larnaca. These data show that an increasing number of citizens show confidence in the public transport system, a fact that makes me very happy, since as a Ministry we have set a goal to increase the percentage of bus traffic.
It is a fact that the pandemic has affected the transport sector as well, however the two contractors in collaboration with the Ministry of Transport, continue their efforts to continuously upgrade the system and offer the best possible experience to the customer. As part of this upgrade, the 5G WiFi network is being introduced in all buses and in the stations of Nicosia and Larnaca. In this way, passengers are able to use their travel time productively or relax pleasantly until they reach their destination. I would like to congratulate the company for this initiative, since with the introduction of the 5G network in its entire fleet, it ranks among the first companies in Europe to offer this service to its customers.
Another step towards optimizing the service is the introduction of the new route network. The need for this change was realized both at the technocratic level and through consultations with other competent bodies, as well as with citizens and was therefore a requirement of the new Conventions of the 2020-2030 decade. The study and design of the new network took into account previous studies prepared by the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works, the demand for travel between different areas, the comments received from consultations, as well as the problems recorded in previous years.
The new service will provide increased service frequency, extended timetables and better coordination at transfer points, and is therefore expected to reduce travel time between areas and reduce waiting times at stops.
The first phase of the network in Nicosia will be implemented on January 29, 2022 and we expect that the passenger public will be satisfied with the changes. In any case, my Ministry will remain in contact with the company and will closely monitor the transition to the new network, so that any problems that may arise, are resolved without delay for the benefit of serving the citizens.
Dear friends,
I am confident that through our cooperation we will be able to upgrade Public Transport in our country and promote sustainable mobility so that transport becomes safer, more efficient and sustainable in order to serve citizens, as well as social and economic actors. So I welcome the pioneering move of the company to make available on its buses the most modern network that currently exists on the market, the 5G WiFi network and to invite everyone to enjoy the route with us.