50% of the resources received by the GORE must be allocated to improving public transport – La Discusión 2024-07-13 06:08:40

The deputy for Ñuble, Cristóbal Martínez, praised the progress made by the project that creates a new financing framework for public transport and that perfects the so-called “Transantiago Mirror Law”, which emerged in 2019 as a way to improve services in the regions, allocating to them the same amount of resources that the State spends on the metropolitan system.

Although the initiative must be discussed by a joint committee before becoming law, the UDI parliamentarian supported that -among other aspects- it has been guaranteed that at least 50% of the resources received by the Regional Governments must be allocated to the improvement of public transport, which although it was the original purpose at the time of the creation of the law, over time it changed and currently said amounts are usually used for other purposes.

Martínez also praised the fact that the limit on annual spending by the regions has been increased from $380 to $492 billion, detailing that in the case of the Ñuble Region, resources will be allocated proportionally, thus benefiting owners, drivers and users.

“Historically, the resources that come from the Transantiago Mirror Law reach the Regional Governments and nobody knows what they end up being spent on. That is why with this bill we are guaranteeing that at least 50% of the contributions are allocated directly to improving public transportation in the regions. We are talking regarding $492 billion at the national level, of which a very significant amount will reach our Ñuble Region, benefiting both the owners and drivers of taxis, buses and buses, as well as the users themselves, who are the ones who ultimately demand a service in better conditions,” said the UDI legislator.

Martínez explained that taxi drivers, bus drivers and microbus drivers will be able to apply -with the funding- to improve and renew their vehicles. Likewise, the funds can also be used to subsidize public transportation fares, as is the case with Transantiago, thus benefiting users with a reduction in fares, ensuring that this will not end up harming drivers, which was one of the concerns they expressed.

The representative of District 19 also appreciated that from now on, projects that seek to improve service in isolated and rural areas of each region can be prioritized, as is currently the case in our area, as well as all initiatives that promote electromobility.