The free urban bus service for registered citizens in the city is now operational. The mayor, Ángeles Muñoz, has highlighted “the good implementation of this measure” and has reported that more than 20,000 of the 30,000 Mobility Cards requested so far have been collected. In this regard, the councilor recalled that the time to submit the application is not limited. In addition, he pointed out that the purpose of this measure “is not only to promote public transport and that people with fewer resources could have free mobility, but also the census.”
Muñoz has pointed out that “the free card, promoted by the City Council, is effective as of today, as we had committed to the concessionary company, the Avanza Group,” detailing that, within the applications, some 5,000 belong to pensioners. “In this case, the use of the card does not expire, while the rest of the users must renew it every two years,” said the mayor. “The goal is to be a useful, easy and usual way of transportation, also having a mobile application and knowing the connections of the lines, so that a comprehensive mobility plan can be carried out and any person, wherever they live, can use that public transport network and all connections; So, as happens with the subway, there may be transfers to reach any point of the municipality,” specified the councilor, accompanied by the Councilor for Transportation, Felix Romero, who has verified the proper functioning of the card in the first day of its entry into force.
In addition, Muñoz has stated that “we are studying, if due to possible increase in the number of travelers that may happen in the coming months, it would be necessary to increase the number of buses and lines, taking into account that there is a possibility of an increase by 20 percent.” The mayor recalled that “the fact of having new, silent and sustainable vehicles has been a very important qualitative leap, we want to be quantitatively speaking too.” In this regard, has assured that “public transport, which is a priority for the municipal government, is comfortable and useful for users.” The councilor added that about 2,500 people have registered in the city in the months of February and March, “which will mean an increase in the PIE of nearly 500,000 euros per year, a figure that is expected to grow from the entry into force of the mobility card.”
