Pilar de la Horadada has launched a renewed free urban bus service connecting the municipality’s coastal, urban and inland districts.
The new route links Mil Palmeras, Torre de la Horadada, El Mojón, Pilar de la Horadada and Pinar de Campoverde, with a total of 22 stops. The service will cost the municipal budget €488,000 over five years.
The Town Council has renewed its public passenger transport service with a new accessible bus and has made the route free for all users.
Public Services councillor Rufino Lancharro said on Wednesday that, “for the first time in Pilar de la Horadada”, the urban bus service will be “free for everyone and adapted for people with reduced mobility”.
He also explained that the bus will be connected to the internet, allowing passengers to check the route in real time and see how long it will take for the bus to arrive at each stop.
22 stops across the municipality
The regular urban passenger transport line connects the municipality’s main population centres: Mil Palmeras, Torre de la Horadada, El Mojón, Pilar de la Horadada and Pinar de Campoverde.
The bus will operate from 9 a.m. to 1.45 p.m. throughout the year. During July and August, the service will run continuously from 9 a.m. to 9.50 p.m.
Each of the 22 stops will have an infobus post displaying route, timetable and frequency information. The same details will also be available online at www.bus.pilardelahoradada.org.
The contract has been awarded for four years, with the possibility of a one-year extension. The winning company is Autocares La Inmaculada, based in San Pedro del Pinatar, Murcia, which already operates in the Vega Baja and Murcia areas.
The contract was awarded for €97,608 per year, representing a reduction of €14,000 from the initial tender price, including VAT. Only one bid was submitted, from the company that ultimately won the contract.
The service has started seven months after the award was resolved in November 2025.
Promoting public transport
The contract justifies making the service free as a measure to promote public transport in the Vega Baja municipality, which has more than 24,000 residents.
According to the council, encouraging the use of public transport reduces the number of private vehicles on the road, helping cut polluting emissions and improve air quality.
The contract also states that free transport guarantees mobility access for everyone, regardless of economic situation. It highlights the importance of the measure for vulnerable groups, including people on low incomes, elderly residents and people with disabilities.
Accessible bus for reduced mobility users
The bus is fully free and has 16 seated places and one space adapted for passengers with reduced mobility.
Lancharro said the free service is intended to encourage residents to choose a more environmentally sustainable form of mobility. He added that the council hopes to increase passenger numbers and, in future tenders, incorporate more routes to improve efficiency.
The councillor also stressed that accessibility is a priority for the Popular Party government led by mayor José María Pérez Sánchez.
For the first time in Pilar de la Horadada’s history, the bus is equipped with a lifting platform, enabling people with reduced mobility to use the free passenger transport service.
