• Quote: ‘In the Mar Menor and​​ Cartagena, Movibus will have 18 vehicles connecting municipalities in Cartagena, Fuente Álamo, La Unión, Los Alcázares, San Javier, San Pedro del Pinatar and Torre Pacheco’

By Andrew Atkinson

The Minister of Development and Infrastructure, José Ramón Díez de Revenga, held a meeting with the heads of the passenger transport companies Alsa, Orbitalia and Interbús that will provide the new regional services, defined in the Daily Mobility Map, during the next two years.

Over 2.7 million travellers will travel each year – on 40 routes – connecting the 17 municipalities in Murcia and Cartagena.

Movibus, the new model of interurban public transport in the Region of Murcia, will provide over 169,000 expeditions annually to connect the municipalities that make up the metropolitan areas of Murcia and Cartagena.

The new links commence on December 3 – improving the number of existing connections between municipalities – reinforced mainly at peak times and including hospitals and university campuses.

More direct and faster routes will be offered – reducing emissions and pollution.

“We are committed to improving the connectivity and trips of inter-urban public transport, so that it works better, reduces travel times and offers more attractive services that allow us to be a real alternative to the private vehicle,” said Diez de Revenga.

The metropolitan area of ​​Murcia will have a total of 24 itineraries to unite the citizens of the 10 municipalities that comprise: Alcantarilla, Alguazas, Archena, Beniel, Ceutí, Las Torres de Cotillas, Lorquí, Molina de Segura, Murcia and Santomera.

The regional government will allocate €2,651,396 to meet the real mobility needs of people.

Movibus will have 28 vehicles in the metropolitan area of ​​Murcia, which will carry a total of 93,129 frequencies, travelling 2,133,554 kilometers annually.

The lines are scheduled to serve 1,720,049 passengers annually, with over a million will do so on different itineraries that make up the services between Molina de Segura-Murcia, Alcantarilla-Murcia and Beniel-Santomera-Murcia.

In the area between the municipalities of the Mar Menor and the metropolitan area of ​​Cartagena, Movibus will have 18 vehicles connecting seven municipalities in the city’s area of ​​influence: Cartagena, Fuente Álamo, La Unión, Los Alcázares, San Javier, San Pedro del Pinatar and Torre Pacheco.

The regional investment in these services will amount to €1,618,060.

The 16 different itineraries of the new Cartagena mobility map will have more than 78,850 annual frequencies and will cover a total of 1,715,198 kilometers per year, estimated travellers being 1,013,573.

The new itineraries and schedules of the Movibus regional service are available on the website of the Autonomous Community.

Services will be provided for the next two years and analysed to introduce new improvements that allow passenger transport to be adapted in the best possible way to the real needs of travel.

Concessions are to be put out to tender for a period of 10 years.

“The bus is a key part of the daily life of thousands of citizens,” said Diez de Revenga.

Caption: Minister of Development and Infrastructure, José Ramón Díez de Revenga, with heads of passenger transport companies Alsa, Orbitalia and Interbús.