Transport Vice Minister
Calls Tribunal Decision
Stopping The Interlinea
Buses Illegal
At 6:00am today an
estimated 1 million
people will not be
waiting at the recently
erected bus stop signs
that was to be used by
the "interlea", the
yellow buses that was to
have reduced the number
of people and vehicles
having to go to downtown
San José.
The interlinea buses was
to have taken passengers
from one community to
the other without having
to transfer buses in
downtown San José.
Many commented yesterday
(Friday) of their
discontent after
learning of the court
decision that sided with
the complainants over
irregularities in
awarding the interlinea
concession.
Many had already made
plans of which route
they would take and
happy not to have to go
to downtown San José and
eliminating for many
more a transfer.
For instance, a trip to
and from the Escazu to
Alajuelita, neigbouring
communities, meant
taking two buses with a
transfer in downtown San
José. The interlinea
would mean only bus, no
visit to downtown and a
short travel time.
The Consorcio Transporte
Sectorial MPT was
awarded the concession
to operate the seven
routes of the interlinea,
investing millions in
equipment and
contracting personnel.
The MPT said in a press
statement yesterday that
it will respect the
decision by the Tribunal
Administrativo de
Transporte Público, who
found irregularities in
the awarding of the
concession by the
Consejo de Transporte
Público (CTP),
Viviana Martín,
viceministra de
Transportes and
president of the CTP,
criticized the Tribunal
for siding with those
who withdrew their
proposal for the
concession.
A number of CTP
officials are linked to
have family ties with
winner concessionaire
consortium, prompting
the bus company
Barrantes Araya to cry
foul play and resort to
the courts for
intervention.
Movimiento Libertario
legislator, Mario Quirós
Lara, yesterday called
for the firing of the
CTP board of directors
for the alleged
irregularities.
Martín is one of the
alleged to have
relatives involved with
the CTP. She admitted
the family ties, but
said that the involved
abstained from taking
any direct part in the
process of awarding the
concession for the
intersectoral bus route.
"That is how it has been
recorded in the books of
the CTP", said Martín.
The question now is what
will happen to the
interlinea route.
According to Martín, the
Tribunal overextended
its limits. The
Barrantes Araya filing
was for modifications to
one route, while the
Tribunal decided to
cancel the concession
for all seven routes.
Martín said that an
appeal will be made to
the Tribunal Contencioso
Administrativo to
overturn the illegal
ruling of the Tribunal
de Transporte Público.
No one yesterday would
comment on how long the
legal battle will
continue and if a new
bid for the interlinea
is needed, the time it
would take to get the
buses rolling.
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