"Puta TIB": Young people fed up with mass tourism

Palm"In the Balearic Islands we don't say 'fucking Renfe', we say 'fucking TIB'". This is how a group of young people expressed themselves on the Instagram account @no.mimporta, referring to the company that manages public transportation in the Balearic Islands. Tired of the reality of traveling around Mallorca by bus, they shared a video in which they denounced the "odyssey" of using this transportation service.

"The Balearic Islands Transport System should connect towns and cities so that residents don't have to rely on a car; but the reality is that many lines and frequencies are designed primarily for tourists, while for those of us who live there, getting to class, work, or returning home at night can be an odyssey," they lament in their social media post.

"Every time you need to get somewhere, the TIB reminds you that you're not a tourist: you're a resident, and here, if you don't come with a suitcase, you're not a priority," they point out. "That's if it doesn't leave you stranded because it's busier than Arenal in July, or you have to endure a two-hour commute to get to a town that's fifteen minutes away by car," they add.

They wonder how it can take tourists twenty minutes to get to the airport, while students need more than an hour to get to university. "How is it possible that the Palma metro and the trains arriving at the Intermodal Station aren't coordinated?" they ask.

Through this Instagram account, they also denounce the lack of night bus service, which forces many young people to rely on private vehicles to return home if they go out at night. "The service is not designed for you: not for going to class, not for getting to work, not for returning home at night," they point out. "This is not public transportation, it's a backdrop for the photo op." foreigner", they complain. However, they emphasize that "there's no point in having free transportation if it costs you time, opportunities, and sleep in return."

In this regard, they also recall the recent strike by TIB drivers, which was massively followed, and highlight some of the workers' demands: salary increases, decent working conditions, adequate rest periods, reduced hours, and improved safety for both employees and passengers.

"When the TIB fails, it's not just tourists who lose: we lose too—workers, young people, the elderly, etc.—who just want to arrive on time," they state. "It's very hard to depend on public transport that doesn't think about those who actually use it every day," they conclude.