50% discount on vehicle ferry costs rejected

MADRID
CENTRAL Government has rejected a call by the Balearic Administration for a 50 percent disount on tickets for vehicles travelling by ferry regardless of the number of passengers they are carrying.

The Islands' Air and Transport director, Joana Amengual explained yesterday that she had met with Central Government's Merchant Marine department to discuss the possibilities of the 50 percent discount being applied in the Balearics within the framework of a new government ruling on ferry transport. Amengual said however that she had been told that the ruling on a broad scale will provide ferry ticket subsidies at a rate to be decided, according to the number of passengers travelling in one vehicle. Amengual said she had also spoken with the Merchant Marine department about running a public ferry service between Denia on the mainland and Formentera. Josep Mayans, Transport councillor on Formentera's Island Council who accompanied Amengual at the meeting, said that Formentera had been “left out of” plans to improve connections between the mainland and the Balearics.