The upcoming 2026/2027 academic year will bring significant improvements to public transport connecting the University of Almería (UAL) with different areas of the province. The Metropolitan Transport Consortium of the Almería Area, under the Regional Ministry of Public Works and Mobility of the Regional Government of Andalusia, will launch four new services. One of the corridors to benefit will be the Bajo Andarax region, which has seen a notable increase in travelers, many heading to the university campus. Three additional services to Alhama de Almería, Tabernas, and Roquetas centro will also be introduced.
This decision was made following a meeting at the consortium's headquarters between Encarna Carmona, UAL's Vice-Rector for Students, and Sofía Cuadrado, Deputy Treasurer of the Student Council, along with Dolores Martínez, territorial delegate for Public Works, and Luis Miguel Carmona, the Consortium's General Manager. The meeting concluded with great satisfaction regarding the announced advancements and reinforcements, which continue the work undertaken over the past year and a half to improve university connections with as many municipalities in Almería as possible.
Luis Miguel Carmona explained that, in addition to the existing services on line M-108 (Pechina – Huércal de Almería – Viator – UAL) and the outbound lines created last year (M-109 Alhama de Almería – Gádor – Benahadux – UAL and M-110 Tabernas – Rioja – Benahadux – UAL), three new return services from UAL to the municipalities of Bajo Andarax and Tabernas will be implemented starting next September 14th. Furthermore, a reinforcement service has been authorized on line M-336, operating semi-directly via the Intermodal Station, heading to Roquetas centro, departing from the campus at 9:15 PM.
The Consortium's manager reported that during the 2025/2026 academic year, the Bajo Andarax corridor registered 13,883 travelers, with a 98% card usage rate. This represents a 133% increase compared to the 2018/19 academic year (5,946 users and 78% card usage). Across all metropolitan university lines, travel reached 204,438 in the 2025/2026 academic year, compared to 63,219 in 2018/19, a growth of 223%. Bajo Andarax accounts for 7.5% of metropolitan university line users, while Poniente represents 87% and Levante 5.5%.
Carmona provided context, stating that the Bajo Andarax area has a population of 47,251 inhabitants, with 4,613 young people aged 17 to 25 according to INE data for 2025, highlighting the potential demand for public transport to the University of Almería. In response, the number of services has been significantly increased: from 12 in the 2018/19 academic year to 32 in 2025/2026, which will rise to 36 with the new services. This increase nearly triples the number of services over seven years.
The territorial delegate emphasized that these results are due to measures such as the Andalusia Youth Transport Card, operational since January 2022. Currently, there are over 8,000 active youth cards (a 38% increase from the 5,670 in 2024). Until December 31st, this card offers a 50% discount on recharges for those under 30 and is free for users born after January 1, 2012. Through these actions, the Consortium reaffirms its commitment to efficient, sustainable public mobility.
