Manuel Gouveia, who is responsible for transport in the Lisbon district organisation of the PCP, told Lusa News Agency that the petition had been delivered to the Ministry of the Environment with the aim of extending the Lisbon Metropolitan Area (AML) €40 pass to cover more of the city.


“There are certain groups of people travelling to Lisbon regularly who have to buy a ticket into the city because they are not part of the AML and this is leading to costs for individuals of €150 euros or more in some cases,” he said.


Signatures for the petition were gathered for around a month among commuters in the areas of Alenquer, Arruda dos Vinhos, Azambuja, Cadaval, Lourinhã, Sobral de Monte Agraço and Torres Vedras, in the district of Lisbon.


The petition will also be delivered to the seven municipalities, the inter-municipal communities of Oeste (OesteCim) and Lezíria do Tejo, to the Lisbon Metropolitan Area as a form of pressure “so that the solutions are found for the extension of the tariff reduction in transportation to those counties. “


According to Lusa, currently a resident of Arruda dos Vinhos, some 35 kilometres and 40 minutes from the capital, pays €138.50 for a combined monthly pass to Lisbon (bus / metro /tram).


The pass climbs to €165, from Torres Vedras (45 minutes or 50 kilometres from Lisbon), to €183.50, from Lourinhã (one hour or 70 kilometres from Lisbon) and to €186.50 from Bombarral (one hour or 70 kilometres from Lisbon).


The Metropolitan Area of Lisbon is in talks with the Intermunicipal Communities on an agreement that allows to reduce the price of the passes.