The Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works announces that on 29 January 2022 and 28 February 2022 the first and second phases of the implementation of the new bus route network in Nicosia District will be implemented respectively.
The long-awaited change is one of the requirements of the signed Public Passenger Bus Transport Contract for the years 2020-2030 between the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works and Nicosia Public Transport and aims to improve the service to the public, as well as to increase the attractiveness of the bus as a means of transport.
The study and design of the new network took into account all previous studies carried out by the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works, the demand for transport between areas, feedback from consultations with relevant bodies and citizens, as well as the problems recorded in previous years, mainly related to the lack of connections between regions, which increases the passenger's travel time, the reduced service hours, the low frequency, and the coordination of secondary routes with the main routes.
The new service will provide increased service frequency and extended hours and will better implement the multi-centre service system through the operation of six central stations at Solomos Square, Makarios Stadium, Strovolos, General Hospital, Tamasos and Alhambra. Important is the introduction for the first time of a night service in central places with increased traffic, such as the city centre, universities, hospitals, shopping centres, bus stations, etc. In the first phase, the night service will be offered on Fridays and Saturdays and will be re-evaluated for possible extension to other locations and days. Through the aforementioned changes, it is estimated that there will be a significant reduction in travel time between areas and waiting time at bus stops.
For customer comfort and improved customer experience during their journey, but also for productive use of their time, all buses and bus stations will be equipped with WiFi with 5G network.
In addition to the variations in routes and timetables, changes will also be made to the fare policy, which is mainly aimed at encouraging passengers to use a personalised Motion Card and reducing the use of paper tickets, thus achieving a reduction in bus boarding time. Passengers who contribute to the reinforcement of this policy will enjoy the same ticket prices as before, as well as additional features when using WiFi.
To avoid problems and inconvenience as well as for early planning, passengers are invited to visit the Nicosia Public Transport Company website (https:/publictransport.com.cy/newnetwork) to be informed of all the variations that will be implemented in the service from 29 January 2022. Also, through the use of the mobile phone application available to the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works ("Motion App") as well as through the application available to Nicosia Public Transport ("Pame App"), the public can receive real-time information on the arrival time of routes at all bus stops.
Finally, the passenger public is informed that for any further information, suggestions, requests or questions that may arise regarding the upcoming network and service changes, they can call the Nicosia Public Transport Bus Company's call centre at 1416.
The Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works and Nicosia Public Transport will closely monitor the transition to the new network and service and every effort will be made to quickly resolve any issues that may arise.
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