Torrevieja City Council and transport company Avanza are planning to launch the town’s new urban bus service on 1st July. The upgraded network will feature increased frequencies and twelve lines, including two circular routes and a dedicated summer night bus, to serve a population of over 110,000. Under the new contract, the service will become paid for 80% of users, remaining free only for senior citizens. Currently, the municipal transport is free for all registered residents.
At present, free passengers make up just over 50% of the annual total, as most visitors, particularly during the summer, pay for their tickets. The local governing board has approved the new fare structure, which must be ratified at the regular plenary session on the final Monday of this month, meaning the new contract cannot be implemented before 29th June.
Councillor for Transport, Antonio Vidal, and sources from Avanza—the multinational mobility firm currently providing the service—indicated the launch will take place shortly. The ten-year contract, costing Torrevieja City Council 67 million euro, was approved on 16th March and formalised on 24th April. Despite the timeline, passenger frustration has grown over long-standing service shortcomings, which the socialist opposition has criticised on social media, highlighting a lack of information regarding summer schedules. Avanza sources stated that dealing with opposition criticism is not their role, adding that the existing service, which the council has paid for without a contract for 14 years via monthly objection reports at a current cost of around 260,000 euro per month, offers very little room for improvement.
Passengers will have to wait for new vehicles and infrastructure. The new fleet of 32 hybrid vehicles and four fully electric buses will not arrive in Torrevieja for another year, meaning the old fleet will remain in use. Avanza has also recently launched new intercity routes across the Vega Baja region and the province, awarded by the Valencian regional government. Furthermore, the renovation of the town’s 200 bus stops will not happen this summer. Councillor Vidal noted that the contract for these installations, which will include self-cleaning toilets at main stops, is out for tender, and delivery will take at least six months once awarded, delaying full deployment until potentially 2027. Currently, many stops lack proper markings or feature decaying shelters installed in 2004 that have lacked maintenance since 2016. The only current sign of the handover is yellow road markings at major central stops, such as Ramón Gallud Street near the Hotel Fontana, where parking spaces have been reserved for buses.
The local government board has approved the draft ordinance regulating the public service charge to organise the new fare system. The base price for a single ticket is set at 1.50 euro (comprising a 1.36 euro base fare plus 0.14 euro VAT), which will apply to occasional users. Frequent travellers can purchase a standard bus pass valid for 10 trips at 11 euro or 20 trips at 22 euro, bringing the cost per journey down to 1.10 euro.
A special reduced bus pass will offer 10 trips for 8.80 euro and 20 trips for 17.60 euro (0.88 euro per trip) for young people under 26, large families, and the long-term unemployed of more than two years. This will require a personalised physical or digital card. The Gold Pass will be entirely free of charge, available exclusively to pensioners, individuals with a disability rating over 33%, and residents aged 65 and over who have been registered in Torrevieja for more than a year. A Bono 30 pass will be available for 44 euro in physical and digital formats for unlimited travel over a set period. Finally, a Tourist Card will offer unlimited travel for visitors, priced at 10 euro for three days (72 hours) and 18 euro for seven days, activated from the moment of the first validation.
