Alert left by Auto Viação do Tâmegawhich had agreed to provide public road passenger transport in the Alto Tâmega e Barroso Intermunicipal Community (CIMAT), in Montalegre, until December 31. An agreement signed on the basis of the importance of this service to the community that AVT has served for almost 80 years has been breached by CIMAT. Deep concern over concession intensifies.
Chaves, December 6th - The characteristics of the start-up of regular passenger transportation in Montalegre, which took place this Monday, are proof of the new concessionaire's repeated inability to respond to the specifics of the tender it won. The absence of an on-board ticketing system; non-compliance with the obligation to provide information on intermediate routes and timetables; the absence of a sales and information point for the public; timetables available on the digital portals of the Alto Tâmega e Barroso Intermunicipal Community (CIMAT) and Montalegre City Council that do not comply with the service actually provided, are some of the evidence gathered today on the ground by Auto Viação do Tâmega (AVT), the operator of the service for the last 80 years.
Since the beginning of the concession process, AVT has been critical and skeptical of the international public tender, despite having reached an agreement with CIMAT to ensure public road passenger transport in Montalegre until December 31, when Flaviamobil was unable to start on October 3, according to the contract, which CIMAT failed to comply with, announcing last week that it had awarded the service to Flaviamobil, Lda, to start on December 4.
Over the last two months, AVT has been attentive and vigilant, following developments closely in order to make its concerns heard with the competent authorities, particularly CIMAT.
"With the rigor, seriousness and transparency with which it has provided its services for almost eight decades and guided its actions to better serve its community, AVT seeks to safeguard the public interest," says Miguel Nogueira, AVT's manager. On this basis and in the proper places and headquarters, we have positioned ourselves and argued about the flawed international public tender for the concession and operation of the public passenger transport service in the region launched by CIMAT in 2021"he adds.
"Our number one priority has always been the people we serve, who depend on our services for their daily commute. We accepted the late request to continue providing public passenger transport in the region until the end of the year, guaranteeing that the community would not be harmed in this period of uncertainty because we could not compromise the trust that has been placed in us over the last few decades," summarizes Miguel Nogueira, AVT's manager, the agreement with CIMAT. Our dedication to the community is unwavering and we will continue to work tirelessly to serve it"he adds.
The agreement signed on October 3 was based on AVT's deep-rooted understanding of the vital importance of public transport to a community it has served for almost 80 years. On that date, AVT understood that what was at stake were essential services - which, by definition, should not be interrupted. It was with this responsibility in mind that it undertook to continue providing public passenger transport in Montalegre until the end of the year.
About Auto Viação do Tâmega (AVT):
Auto Viação do Tâmega (AVT) is a private limited company, made up of five partners, which has exclusive rights to around 70 official concessions for public road passenger transport in the municipalities of Chaves, Vila Real, Vila Pouca de Aguiar, Valpaços, Vinhais, Boticas, Montalegre, Peso da Régua, Santa Marta de Penaguião, Ribeira de Pena and Mirandela. AVT also operates daily express services to Braga, Porto, Coimbra and Lisbon and international transport services - in partnership - to Spain, France, Belgium and Luxembourg. Each year, occasional rental services have become increasingly important to the company, which has nearly 150 employees and a fleet of more than 140 vehicles.
More information at https://avtamega.com