Torrevieja updates urban bus routes to eliminate hospital transfers

Changes to Torrevieja urban bus lines 1, 2, and 8 will come into effect on Monday, 2nd November, as announced by the Department of Transport of Torrevieja Town Hall. The adjustments will enable passengers to travel between the southern residential estates and the city centre without changing buses at the Torrevieja University Hospital, while also establishing a new coastal route connecting to La Mata.

The decision by Torrevieja Town Hall, coordinated with the service concessionaire, Avanza, follows a surge of user complaints after the launch of the new bus service at the end of July. The initial system required passengers to transfer to a secondary vehicle with a waiting period at the University Hospital.

The primary update is the permanent removal of the hospital transfer for users of lines 1 and 2. Both lines will maintain their stop at the hospital complex before continuing to Avenida Doctor Gregorio Marañón, number 7, which becomes the final terminus heading toward the centre. Passengers can now complete their full journey on a single bus.

Line 1, which serves the hospital, Los Altos, Punta Prima, and Rocío del Mar, will extend its route to Gregorio Marañón, facilitating travel for residents of these areas into the urban core. The first departures from Gregorio Marañón will be at 06:45 hours, while services from Rocío del Mar, at the Calle Mar Rizada stop, will begin at 07:00 hours. The final departures from both ends will take place at 22:10 hours.

Line 2, connecting the hospital with Los Balcones and Lago Jardín, will also offer a direct connection to the centre with its terminus at Gregorio Marañón and no vehicle transfer at the hospital. Additionally, it will recover its previous route prior to the end-of-July service launch via Avenidas de la Asunción and Torrevieja within this residential neighborhood of Torrevieja, reincorporating these stops into its itinerary.

The first departure from Los Balcones, at the Avenida de Denia stop, will be at 06:45 hours, while departures from Gregorio Marañón will begin at 07:00 hours. The last departures from both ends are scheduled for 22:30 hours.

Both lines will pass through the Mar Azul residential estate, which also retains its own dedicated service, line 3. Together with an overall increase in stops, the route from Rocío del Mar to the centre will now take a minimum of 47 minutes for a distance of just over 5 kilometres. Service frequencies, which were promised as an improvement under the new contract, will increase to 33 minutes.

This update represents the second timetable modification for line 1, following an unannounced schedule change at the beginning of the month. Some passengers have described the schedules as confusing, joking that commuters will need memory aids to remember departure times, as they rarely align with the top of the hour.

Line 8 will alter its itinerary due to ongoing redevelopment works on Paseo de Los Locos. This new route will remain permanent even after the works conclude. Heading toward La Mata, the itinerary includes stops on Avenida de la Purísima and Calles Goleta, Mar Báltico, and Jacinto Benavente, continuing along Avenida Alfredo Nobel toward Cabo Cervera and La Mata. The terminus in La Mata will be located at Calle Mayor, number 59.

Heading toward the centre of Torrevieja, the return route will include stops on calles Echegaray and Finlandia, avenida de las Habaneras, Calle Antonio Machado near the bus station, and avenida Diego Ramírez, before finishing at Gregorio Marañón.

Town Hall officials recommend that passengers check the updated schedules and itineraries for their respective lines before travelling, particularly during the initial days of the changes, and confirm the correct stops for each direction of travel.