More than 36,000 using buses every day

Celebrating four years of innovation and growth in Cyprus, bus company Cyprus Public Transport (CPT) on Tuesday said its 600 employees oversee the transport of over 36,000 passengers a day.

CEO Julio Tironi said the company was one of the largest employers in Cyprus and had successfully taken on the challenge to increase the use of public transport.

The subsequent reduction of traffic led to lower pollution and an increase in the overall quality of life, Tironi said.

“Imagine if those 36,000 daily passengers opted to use their cars.”

He added CPT, which took over public transport in Nicosia and Larnaca, was edging closer to the aim of it becoming an integral part of society.

Tironi said there was also a shift in the demographics of passengers, with more people aged 25 to 50 using public transport, compared to the past when passengers were younger and older than that age group.

The CEO reiterated the company’s commitment to provide high quality services, in order to increase the use of public transport.

The Pame app, he said, is an innovation that provides real time information about routes and travelling time.

The whole fleet of buses, some of which are electric, also sports 5G wifi, which has been extended to bus stops in Nicosia and Larnaca too, “a first for Europe”.

Ticket selling is automated at stations and new bus stops have been installed.

A pilot programme is also running to facilitate access for disabled people.

In September 2023, the park-and-ride service was launched, with about 500 drivers leaving their cars outside Nicosia and using the bus to get into town.

Also, the number of accidents had dropped by 30 per cent from 2021 to 2024.