Ibiza’s public transport companies confirm that this year’s tourist season is behaving “irregularly”. The accumulated number of travelers is between 4% and 5% below the number registered last year, a drop that again makes evident an unusual fact: August, the traditionally strongest month of the summer, maintains a lower demand than July.
The vice president of the Balearic Federation of Transport and representative of Alsa-Voramar el Gaucho in Ibiza, José María Cardona, said in dialogue with Radio Ibiza that this trend was already detected last summer, but says that this year “has been accentuated”. As he explains, the decline does not necessarily reflect fewer tourists on the island, but an increase in competition within the sector itself, which distributes users among more operators and reduces the number of passengers using regular lines.
More competition in summer, empty trips in winter
Despite the drop recorded in August, public transport has reached seven million passengers so far this year, a remarkable figure. However, Cardona explains that the concessionary companies must face an unequal scenario: in summer they are forced to compete with multiple mobility options, but in the low season they are the only ones to maintain certain routes, even those that in some schedules run without passengers.
Entrepreneurs insist that this situation generates a significant imbalance for the operation of the service, which must guarantee the mobility of the population throughout the year even if demand drops drastically.
The new contract, pending final appeals
This scenario coincides with the final stretch for the entry into force of the new public transport contract, awarded to Alsa-Voramar el Gaucho. Its implementation is pending the resolution of the last appeals filed by other companies bidding for the service.
The new contract will entail a reinforcement of routes and frequencies, as well as the incorporation of electric buses, which will modernize and expand the island’s transport network. The expectation of the sector is that this improvement will contribute to stabilize demand and offer a more competitive and sustainable service.
