Cádiz City Council has received the necessary approval to begin the tender process for what will be the first urban bus contract in the city in 120 years. This milestone, which has required over twelve years of tender document preparation, will be voted on in an extraordinary plenary session called for next Wednesday, the 29th. The Junta de Andalucía, through its Consultative Council, has given the green light to the file submitted by the council.
The current concessionaire has operated in Cádiz for 120 years, initially with trams from 1906 and later with buses under an agreement signed in 1945. The preparation of the tender documents has spanned four corporate terms and three different governments, since a specific commission was created in May 2014 for its development.
The future contract, to be signed with the awarded company for a period of twelve years, includes significant innovations. A fleet of 60 hybrid buses is planned, a 25% increase in service hours (up to 207,000 annually), and an expansion of the workforce assigned to Cádiz.
Improvements include a new circular line around the historic center with a 5-minute frequency during peak hours, another summer-only circular line outside the walls, the merger of lines 2 and 3, and night bus service on Fridays and Saturdays for lines 1 and 5. Vehicles will feature card payment, validation machines, GPS localization, and a mobile application for real-time information.
The economic investment for this contract is estimated at 212 million euros over its duration, aiming for a more sustainable and efficient service for the city.
