Improvements to local bus service put on paper
Travel for pensioners will remain free via a ‘gold card’
TORREVIEJA town hall has presented a draft bylaw setting out how the municipal bus service should be run when it is put out to tender this year.
The document is currently on public display and members of the public and associations can present objections and suggestions.
A number of changes will be made to the service including ticket pricing. According to councillor for transport, Antonio Vidal, it will become ‘more dynamic, efficient, accessible and sustainable’.
Pensioners (over 65s) who are on the municipal register (padrón) in Torrevieja will be able to apply for a gold card (tarjeta oro).
This will cost them €4 and give ‘unlimited free access’ to the bus service, according to the councillor.
An ordinary single ticket for a journey will cost €1.35, but users can get a multi-use card
(bono multiviaje) which will see the cost reduced to €0.90.
For school pupils or large families this card would see them travel for €0.65.
A 30-day card for unlimited journeys would cost €38 – and tourists cards would be €8 for three days or €16 for seven days.
Sr Vidal said that the fleet of buses is set to be completely renewed under the new concessionary company – and the number will double to reach 32.
Most of the vehicles will be hybrid, but there will also be four electric buses, he noted.
The timetable will be extended and services will operate more frequently, he added.
And new bus stops will be added.
Information for users will be improved with a mobile phone app, he said, and bus stops will be fitted with panels to indicate the waiting time for the next service.
There will also be two new lines, taking the number to nine – and services will start at 07.00 and finish at 22.30.
During the busiest times of the year – Easter, July and August – the buses will run until midnight.
A night bus will also operate on three lines (as yet unnamed) from June until the end of September – running from midnight until 04.00 – which will also run on every Saturday night of the year.