Walter Finch
BOSSES accused of wasting ‘thousands of euros’ at a bus depot have taken action after the Olive Press pointed it out to them.
Users of Marbella bus station noticed the exterior roof lights coming on during the day, as well as toilet cisterns flushing continuously.
The general state of disrepair, also including leaking pipes, was reported to Avanza, after drivers and cleaning staff agreed with us.
It came after an Olive Press reader contacted us about the lights coming on at 2pm ‘which are hard to see due to the bright daylight.’
“It’s a complete waste of money, particularly as I’ve seen them on many occasions like that,” said the reader, who asked to remain anonymous.
Avanza promised to review the sensors and the lights are now coming on at 5.30pm, an appropriate hour for winter.
The company also agreed to review the leakages in the bathrooms, which a spokesman put down to ‘misuse by some users’.
The move could save Avanza ‘around €1,368 a year’ in unnecessary bills for the light alone, claims electricity company boss, Martin Tye.
“It is criminal that any organisation wastes electricity because of poor management and laziness,” the CEO of Mariposa Energy told the Olive Press.
Last year Sevilla and several other Andalucian cities delayed the date they switched on the Christmas lights until December 5 with the explicit intention of reducing electricity consumption and raising awareness about energy saving.
Coming during a period of energy scarcity and fears of winter blackouts amid the sanctions on Russian gas and oil due to the war in Ukraine, it has prompted predictable outrage.
An Avanza Group spokesperson denied that any costs would be passed on to the consumer for station maintenance and runaway bills.
The lights are controlled by a sensor and on cloudy or gloomy days they come on automatically, according to the company.
READ MORE:
- LACK OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT ON THE COSTA DEL SOL IS DRIVING TOURISTS AND RESIDENTS MAD
- OLIVE PRESS CAMPAIGN: Bus company Avanza promises to improve services along the coast if demand becomes clear
- OLIVE PRESS OPINION: It should be a basic no-brainer to run reliable buses up and down the coast
