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Date Published: 19/07/2022
ARCHIVED - Public transport overhaul in Murcia: more scooter rental and just one card to pay for buses, trams and parking
The City Council in Murcia is upping the number of buses and promoting more ecofriendly travel options
Murcia city is implementing a new public transport system next year that will increase the number of bus lines and make buses more frequent, as well as reduce fares and cut journey times.
The measures will also introduce a single travel card that can be used to pay for trams, buses, park-and-ride services and parking in car parks in the city, and there are other plans in place to promote a new scheme for renting electric scooters.
What’s more, 43 kilometres of bus lanes will be created that are separate from other road traffic, and another 44 kilometres of cycle lanes will also be added to the city with the aim of reducing the use of private vehicles and increasing the use of bicycles.
The aim is for the whole new system to be operational by the middle of 2023.
Improved Murcia city bus service
Specifically, Murcia city will put on 22 new bus lines, raising the total number of bus routes from 44 to 66, and reduce waiting times for buses to under half an hour in 92% of cases.
The city council has also announced its intention to cut journey times by between 9% and 22%, depending on the destination.
According to the council, some 120,000 people from the districts surrounding Murcia city will be able to reduce their journey time to the city centre by 9%, and 133,000 will take 15% less time to get to the Espinardo university campus. In addition, almost all the surrounding towns will have a direct bus link to their nearest hospital and some 190,000 people will take 22% less time to get to the Virgen de la Arrixaca hospital.
In addition, new night bus lines will be created to connect the centre with around 40 districts.
New travel card
The council also hopes to bring in a new ‘citizen card’ which can be used on all means of municipal transport (buses and trams), as well as to pay for ORA-controlled park-and-ride lots and directly managed municipal car parks where users are required to buy a pass and display it in their front windshield.
Electric scooter rental
Next September the new mobility ordinance is expected to be approved, which will regulate the new transport system as well as transport around the city with bicycles and electric scooters.
For this reason, information points will be set up to allow citizens to try out bikes and scooters, and after this pilot test the idea is to extend the system of renting these vehicles to the whole of the municipality.
Image: Ayuntamiento de Murcia
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