The president of PS-Madeira, Célia Pessegueiro, has demanded that the Republic's Government comply with the law on the Territorial Continuity Mechanism. This call aims to ensure Madeirans pay only the stipulated amount of €79 for ordinary citizens and €59 for students for travel between the Region and the Continent, without having to pay "large sums" upfront.
Pessegueiro criticized Luís Montenegro's Executive for not respecting the law, approved in June, which she considers essential for constitutionally guaranteed territorial continuity. The socialist leader also highlighted bureaucracy and platform operational issues as obstacles that discourage citizens from claiming their rightful reimbursements.
The PS will continue to demand that the Government regulate and implement the law, allowing Madeirans to pay the reduced fare at the time of purchase. Célia Pessegueiro questioned the difficulty in transferring the responsibility for the upfront payment to travel agencies, which have expressed willingness to provide this service, leaving the State to pay the difference.
The socialist official deemed the situation particularly serious amidst the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of regional Autonomies and Madeira Week in the Assembly of the Republic. She also criticized Miguel Albuquerque and Eduardo Jesus for, in her view, prioritizing tourism over Madeirans facing high travel costs within the national territory.
