The number of passengers on Lanzarote's intercity buses increased by almost 30% in 2023. During the past year, the number of passengers increased by 1,506,496 people compared to 2022, representing a growth of 29.30%. This notable increase has been driven by "several improvements and policies implemented throughout the year", the Island Council has highlighted.
The data has been obtained from a study based on the 2023 Regular Interurban Passenger Transport Yearbook, published in the Data Center of the Cabildo de Lanzarote, which reveals a "significant increase" in the use of interurban transport on the island compared to the previous year, thus reflecting the commitment of the first Island Institution to improving mobility and sustainable transport.
The yearbook also details that the bus lines that circulate through urban areas have shown exceptional growth. Line 32 (San Bartolomé) experienced an increase of 51.37%, while line 30 (Playa Blanca) grew by 46.89%, and line 21 (Arrecife-Playa Honda) increased by 48%, exceeding the island average by more than 10 points. In the central corridor (Arrecife-Tinajo-La Santa-Los Valles-Teguise), the increase was 40.5%, with 319,166 passengers transported in 2023.
Environmental improvements and free policies
As reflected in the Lanzarote Regular Interurban Passenger Transport Yearbook, the percentage of vehicles with emissions below 50g of CO2/km/passenger rose from 89.47% in 2022 to 91.30% in 2023, underlining the focus on environmental sustainability.
"The year 2023 also marked the beginning of free transport policies, with an investment of 6,544,275 euros by the administration to facilitate access to public transport," said the Councilor for Transport and Mobility of the Cabildo de Lanzarote, Domingo Cejas.
Increase in kilometers traveled and drivers
The number of kilometers traveled also increased, from 4,687,051 in 2022 to 4,881,606 in 2023, thanks to the increased frequency of the Arrecife-Playa Blanca route, which now operates every 30 minutes instead of every hour. In addition, the number of drivers increased from 79 in 2022 to 99 in 2023, reflecting the Cabildo's commitment to job creation and service improvement.
The 2023 Lanzarote Regular Interurban Passenger Transport Yearbook will be available for consultation at the Cabildo de Lanzarote Data Center, allowing citizens to access detailed information on the status and progress of interurban transport on the island.
The president of the Cabildo, Oswaldo Betancort, stressed that "the commitment of the Island Government is to continue promoting measures that favor the use of sustainable public transport and island mobility." "In fact," he adds, "one of the first measures we have approved in this legislature has been the Lanzarote Island Plan for Sustainable Transport and Mobility 2022-2031 to establish the appropriate strategies to achieve a more modern, efficient and inclusive transport."
For his part, the Councilor for Transport and Mobility of the Cabildo de Lanzarote, Domingo Cejas, pointed out that "the increase in the number of passengers demonstrates the success of the mobility policies we are implementing." Cejas highlighted the "ease of access" to public transport and added that "we have also significantly reduced CO2 emissions, contributing to a more sustainable future for Lanzarote."