At a press conference in Funchal, the regional finance secretary announced that the executive, a PSD/CDS-PP coalition, has decided to extend the mobility allowance already applied to Madeirans to residents of Porto Santo, and the new support applies from December, all year round.

According to Rogério Gouveia, Porto Santo residents will now pay €10.70 for a round trip, by sea, to Madeira Island.

The mobility social allowance, both for Madeira residents and Porto Santo residents, has a value of around €25 for adults and €12.50 for children, for the round trip by boat.

For air connections, the subsidy can reach €50, for trips above €150, while for other promotional or resident fares, the subsidy amount is the same as that given to maritime transport, therefore €25.

“This makes travelling easier for residents of the island from Porto Santo to Madeira. It also introduces justice from the point of view of territorial continuity”, highlighted Rogério Gouveia.

The regional secretary highlighted that, "regardless of the political guidelines and local governments that may exist in the various municipalities in the region, the approach to planning public policies and the development of the Regional Government is carried out in a transversal and integrated manner, with a view to territorial cohesion of the entire territory of the region”.

“We would like this example and strategy to be accepted by those who have the constitutional responsibility to ensure territorial continuity between the Portuguese mainland and the autonomous regions, because this is proof that it actually works and is possible. All it takes is for those who have the right to have the political will," he argued.

To benefit from the refund, residents must register on the Simplifica platform, which has 123,082 validated processes.