Filenews 11 December 2021 - by Michalis Hadjivasilis
The offer for the construction of stops and the installation of bus shelters is announced within the next few days, a move that will take our country out of the third world conditions in this area. The cost of the project is expected to reach €45 million and it is estimated that its implementation will start in October 2022. As the Minister of Transport, Yiannis Karousos, told "F", the project will cover all cities all over Cyprus and include modern canopies with lighting from voltaika and electronic information of passengers. Dozens of smart stops will fill central parts of cities, while many existing ones will be improved.
Today, many bus stops even in cities or suburbs are just a metal column indicating the number of the bus that makes a stop. No shelter, no seat, no information about when the buses are coming. Passengers suffer in the sun or rain and wind and often find shelter under trees or nearby houses.
According to Mr. Karousos, the tender documents are located in the Public Procurement Directorate of the Treasury to secure a Certificate of Compatibility. Recently, revised documents have been submitted that took into account the comments of the Directorate of Public Procurement. Once a Certificate of Compatibility has been obtained, a letter of commitment will be sent to the Directorate-General for European Coordination and Development Programmes, if the project is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund, which is one of the main financial instruments of EU cohesion policy. The publication of the competition is expected around mid-December 2021 and includes two stages:
► The first stage concerns the selection of interested economic operators who meet the requirements for participation. The first phase is expected to be completed by the end of February 2022.
► The second stage concerns the submission of a full technical and financial offer. The technical offer also requires the submission of a sample. The second phase is expected to be completed and the tender will be awarded by June 2022.
The implementation of stops and shelters is expected, according to the Minister of Transport, to start 2-3 months later, i.e. from October 2022, if the preparation of model stops and shelters and then mass production is foreseen.
The Contract is 15 years:
A. Implementation in 5 years, at a cost of € 35 million.
B. 10 years of maintenance worth €10 million.
In addition, the contract allows the order from third parties, at their own expense/funds, e.g. such as municipalities or communities that require additional infrastructure, from concessionaires of public transport, or even implementers of large developments whose planning permission requires the creation of infrastructure for public transport. In all cases, this infrastructure will be used to be maintained by the Ministry of Transport.
It is noted that today in the few stops that exist with canopies, there is no information about the next arrival and only a few stops in Limassol (coastal) is done on the initiative of the municipality. Many who want to use public transport avoid it, since they know that they will sit under the hot sun or rain waiting for the bus.
Smart stops with information
The Contract is for nationwide coverage and provides for the implementation of:
350 "Type A" stops (with lighting and electronic information)
1,350 small-sized shelters with "Type B" benches
(with lighting and in main points electronic information),
650 large shelters with benches and electronic information signs at central points,
100 large shelters with benches and electronic information signs in central locations,
Repair and repositioning of 1,300 existing shelters, Photovoltaic systems,
200 bike mooring points.
