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The most used bus line in Marbella is the one that goes to the Costa del Sol Hospital Josele
Marbella experiences a boom in public transport usage since free service was rolled out in 2019
Transport

Marbella experiences a boom in public transport usage since free service was rolled out in 2019

The latest figures correspond to the number of free mobility cards registered in the town, not accounting for journeys made by tourists, so the overall number of trips could be close to six million

María Albarral

Marbella

Wednesday, 27 December 2023, 19:35

The use of public transport has rocketed in Marbella since the Costa del Sol town introduced a free scheme almost five years ago.

The number of journeys have doubled since a mobility card was introduced in 2019 for free use of the town's buses. "We have seen a very positive growth where year after year the number of journeys is increasing, going from two million four years ago to 4.8 million in November this year," town hall spokesman Félix Romero said.

The figures correspond to the number of free mobility cards registered in the town, not accounting for journeys made by tourists, so the overall number of trips could be close to six million.

Romero said the initiative "is a measure that makes mobility and transport accessible, which has accounted for more than 17 million journeys since it was introduced".

He also said the growth has been gradual, since in 2020, despite the pandemic, the number of journeys reached 2.5 million, in 2021 there were a total of 3.6 million and last year there were 4.7 million.

Romero also pointed to an increase in the number of retired people using the bus, rising from 329,000 two years ago to 583,000 in November this year. "This initiative also has a social purpose as it has helped the mobility of our elderly. We must not forget that some distances in our town are great and some of the hills make getting around very difficult," he added.

Cards

There are currently a total of 77,942 mobility cards issued in Marbella, of which 66,500 correspond to those registered in the town, the so-called 'blue cards', and 11,362 to the 'gold card' for pensioners. The free service "represents a saving of around eight million euros for the public", Romero pointed out, adding that "around 176,000 kilometres are contracted annually from the town hall to cover this service".

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surinenglish Marbella experiences a boom in public transport usage since free service was rolled out in 2019