Arrecife has premiered this Friday two new, large buses, the first of these dimensions to be incorporated into the City Council's fleet during this 21st century.
Before his speech, the mayor, surrounded by the team of drivers, apologized to the users of the service, on behalf of the city, for the terrible situations that the Arrecife Urban Bus service has offered until now, and exonerated the drivers from responsibility. “They have had to work with old buses, which broke down frequently. From now on they have modern vehicles to offer a better public service as the third capital of the Canary Islands deserves to be”, declared the first mayor.
The mayor of Arrecife, Yonathan de León, and the Councilor for Transport and Mobility, Mario González Altube, have explained the great advances that the Urban Bus service will make in the capital of Lanzarote from 2025. The improvements have been detailed during the presentation of the two medium-sized buses, which the Municipal Service is launching and which have been circulating since this Friday through the streets of Arrecife. Both 9-meter-long units represent a significant step towards more sustainable and efficient transport in the capital of Lanzarote.
They are powered by electricity, are accessible, and have a capacity of 56 passengers each. These new vehicles, with technological advances, have seats for 30 people, and 26 can stand inside, as well as a platform for people in wheelchairs (PMR). These vehicles, which reinforce the modernization of the Arrecife City Council buses from today, have automatic ramps for the access of people with reduced mobility. When a person in a wheelchair is transported on the journey, the capacity of people standing is 22 places.
Yonathan de León declared to the media that many thought they would not see the arrival of new buses, and today, on Saint Lucia's Day, they see them circulating through the streets of Arrecife. The mayor has guaranteed that the modernization of the municipal bus service starts today and will make great progress in 2025 with the incorporation of eight new electric buses. Four units that have already been purchased (the tender is awarded these days) and another four that will be acquired throughout 2025.
The mayor congratulated Councilor Mario González Altube for the progress that is being implemented in urban mobility, and recognized the good work of the entire team of the Department of Mobility and Transport. “Progress, in a city like Arrecife, is difficult, and citizens are seeing it with their own eyes. There is still a lot of work to be done, but we already have the projects, the ideas and the investment capacity to implement them,” he said.
The Councilor for Mobility and Transport, Mario González Altube, announced in the explanation to the media that with the improvements and the acquisition of the new buses, 4 routes will be offered, two new ones, with frequencies between 15 and 20 minutes, in half the current time. The implementation of these new routes, and frequencies, will be carried out progressively during 2025.
Once the new lines are implemented, with the entry into service of the four buses, already purchased, plus another four units planned for the second semester of next year, a great boost will be given to urban mobility with public transport, emphasized Councilor González Altube. Arrecife will have in a period of 12 months - counting from now - a fleet of 11 modern buses - 8 of them medium and large - all electric, sustainable and of the latest generation, specified the Councilor for Mobility.
Mario González Altube remarked that the City Council will deploy an application that will inform the location of the buses and the time of arrival at the stops, as well as payment by bank card, and the modernization of the shelters. All these projects are contemplated in the draft municipal budgets for 2025.
This gradual renovation reflects the effort of the Arrecife City Council to balance current operability with future sustainability needs, within the priority objectives of the Municipal Government led by Mayor Yonathan de León, for this term.
First passengers of the new buses
The presentation of these two new buses took place this morning in Argana Alta, at the express wish of the mayor. It is the nucleus with the largest population of Arrecife and the entire island of Lanzarote. The mayor invited the neighbor of Argana Alta, Rita Martín Navarro, and Francisco García, a person with a wheelchair, to join this premiere of the new buses. Both, residents of Arrecife, became the first passengers to premiere these modern and accessible vehicles.
After the presentation to the media, the mayor, together with the councilor and several councilors of the Government group, who attended this presentation of the improvement of the service, took a bus tour through the neighborhoods of the capital.
X-ray of the Arrecife bus fleet
Currently, the City Council has a fleet composed of:
• 3 electric micros currently in service.
• 2 new electric buses, with capacity for 30 people seated, 26 standing and the driver. If they transport a person with reduced mobility (PMR), the standing capacity is reduced to 22 places. These units are circulating in Arrecife from today.
• 2 diesel buses in operation, with an age of between 10 and 25 years, which frequently register breakdowns.
• 2 additional diesel buses currently in the workshop.
The City Council has executed in these months back investments in the municipal garage and has provided new electric charging points these municipal facilities, located in the industrial area of Argana.
The Department of Mobility and Transport of the Arrecife City Council awards these days four new 100% electric units to the city's public transport fleet, which will begin to operate in the second semester of 2025. To which will be added another four more, which will be acquired next year.
This Mobility Plan, highlighted the councilor, "marks the roadmap to follow for the improvements that will be implemented in this second part of the term, allowing a wider and more efficient coverage of urban transport. Although variations in the design of these routes are still being studied, the objective is to guarantee a more accessible and environmentally friendly public service, with shorter waits, and according to an efficient service, at the bus stops".
Once the new lines are implemented and the four additional buses scheduled for 2025 are acquired, Arrecife will have a fleet composed of 11 electric and two diesel units. This gradual renovation reflects the effort of the City Council to balance current operability with future sustainability needs. The mayor promised that, after the arrival of the contemplated buses, the old buses will be withdrawn from circulation.
The premiered buses, electric, are accessible, have air conditioning or heating, and have USB ports for charging mobile devices. The City Council has a current Job Bank for the hiring of drivers that may be necessary before the upcoming incorporations of the new planned buses.