Good start to airport bus service
Good start to airport bus service
Five days after its launch, the shuttle bus service between Nicosia and Larnaca airport seems well on the way to success, while it has also expanded to serve Limassol and Paphos.
Pambos Kapnos of Kapnos Airport Shuttle said that from a mere trickle of 5 when the service started on Monday, passengers rose to 140, and then to 200 yesterday.
"We have a steady rising trend," he said, noting that there were more people going to the airport than coming back.
This was because many of the passengers who traveled abroad before the bus service was introduced had already made arrangements for their return to Nicosia.
"It will not be until the second week before we have a definite picture of how this is going," Kapnos said.
He noted that most of the bus passengers were Cypriots and only about 8-10% were foreigners.
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Asked if they were content with the point of departure at the Philoxenia Hotel, he said they found it quite convenient and had no plans of changing it.
"We have on principle entered an agreement with the Nicosia taxis to work together on this”, he added.
Furthermore, he said that they would soon advertise the airport bus service to all the households in metropolitan and wider Nicosia through the post office.
There are hourly rides to and from the airport in the early hours of the morning, starting at 5 a.m., becoming less frequent around noon and then increasing again in the afternoon, following the schedule of flights.
Limassol City Buses started the airport shuttle service on Wednesday with 57 passengers, while yesterday they had 49. They are also confident that business will pick up as it goes along.
Buses start from Ayios Georgios Havouzas at 4.45 a.m. with the last one scheduled at 10 p.m. The last one from Larnaca Airport is at 0.15. The fare is Ư7 including luggage.
Optimistic
Paphos City Buses who joined the airport shuttle service only yesterday were optimistic despite the low number of passengers they ferried.
Director Chrysostomos Chrysostomou said they expected business to pick up as people became familiar with the service.
For the time being they work together with the sister company of Limassol City Buses carrying passengers to and from the Larnaca airport to Paphos.
"This means making a brief stop of 5-10 minutes in Limassol each way, which is hardly noticeable," he said.
The first bus from Paphos leaves at 6.15 a.m. and the last at 8.15 p.m., while the last one from Larnaca Airport is at 2.15 a.m.
There are two points of departure, one from the Central Karavela Station and another from the small harbour of Kato Paphos mainly for tourists. The fare is set at Ư7 including luggage.
Asked if there is a similar bus shuttle service between Paphos airport and Paphos town, Chrysostomou answered in the negative, saying that this was due to the fact that most passengers were on chartered flights and their fare to and from the airport was inclusive in their tour package.
"Nevertheless, we are working on something together with the Cyprus Tourism Organisation," he noted. He added that they worked with Limassol City Buses to bring passengers from Limassol to Paphos when needed.
As the service in all three major towns is in flux, the passengers are advised to consult the bus schedules. Making a reservation guarantees a better service.
The airport bus service was launched in a bold move by the Minister of Communications and Works Minister Nicos Nicolaides, who is determined to handle public passenger transport head on.
Launching the project at a press conference on Monday, he stressed that the Cypriot citizen must learn to trust public transport, but at the same time public transport must offer a viable choice to the citizen.
The move has angered airport taxi drivers who threatened strike action, but agreed to give the new venture
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