Bárbara Soler, the spokesperson for the Socialist Municipal Group (PSOE), has presented a motion to improve the interurban public transport network in Torrevieja. The initiative includes specific measures aimed at correcting the deficiencies frequently reported by users, consolidating new connections, and guaranteeing a service that matches the city’s importance.
Soler explained that the motion proposes reinforcing the inspection and monitoring of the service. This is to ensure that operators comply with timetables and the required quality standards, particularly as Torrevieja is heavily promoted as an international tourist destination but continues to provide a clearly deficient interurban bus service.
Among the key proposals is the consolidation of the transport connection between La Mata and the Torrevieja University Hospital to ensure no resident faces difficulties accessing healthcare. The motion also seeks to guarantee a stable connection to the Miguel Hernández University to provide security for students and their families, continuously evaluate the airport connection to adapt it to real demand, and establish a Mobility Monitoring Board. This board would bring together the Ayuntamiento, the Generalitat, and transport operators to periodically analyse the system and correct any detected flaws.
The socialist spokesperson expressed her surprise at the total amendment presented by the Partido Popular (PP). She noted that it is difficult to understand how anyone could oppose monitoring public transport, guaranteeing hospital access, stabilising university transport, or listening to users to improve an essential public service. According to the PSOE, the PP’s amendment avoids addressing the actual content of the motion and merely defends the implementation of the new concession map.
Addressing the PP’s argument that the current Consell has driven the new transport model, Soler recalled that the reorganisation of the concession map began under the previous regional government (the Botànic), and the final project was already prepared. She stated that the definitive implementation of these lines arrived more than three years after the PP took over the Generalitat, arguing that a process taking three years to complete cannot be presented as exemplary management. She also highlighted that the procedure has faced controversy, with the Passenger Transport Management Association challenging several emergency contracts, including the Torrevieja-Alicante line.
Soler pointed out that the Vega Baja region remains clearly discriminated against, lacking an integrated tariff system and the social transport vouchers enjoyed by young people, students, and the elderly in the Alicante metropolitan area. Consequently, users in the Vega Baja continue to pay more for public transport.
Regarding university transport, Soler emphasised that this is a core issue of access to education. Families need certainty that the connection will be maintained throughout the academic year and in the coming years, without depending on short-term decisions or economic profitability. Access to university, she argued, must be a guaranteed right through stable and reliable public transport, rather than a privilege for those with cars.
The PSOE spokesperson also strongly criticised the current state of the Torrevieja bus station. She argued that it is unacceptable for passengers to miss their bus due to massive queues for tickets, or to endure repeated delays and a lack of resources and information. With hundreds of thousands of visitors arriving in Torrevieja by bus each year, the station often serves as their very first impression of the city.
Finally, the motion demands the definitive consolidation of the connection between La Mata and the Torrevieja University Hospital, assessing whether the frequencies and timetables truly meet user needs—a demand the socialists have been making since the beginning of the mandate. For the airport connection, the PSOE considers it necessary to review frequencies periodically to ensure they are sufficient, particularly to cover early morning flights and during peak tourist periods.
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