Bilbobus

Last updated
Bilbobus
Bilbobuslogo.svg
Bilbobus.jpg
A Bilbobus unit in Bilbao
Founded1988
Service type bus service
Routes45 (37 daytime and 8 night lines)
OperatorBioBide [1]
Website Bilbobus

Bilbobus is the name for metropolitan bus services in Bilbao.

Contents

The service is owned by the city council of Bilbao. The buses can be distinguished by their red colour and large white lettering, and there are 28 major lines serving the city, with eight smaller lines connecting the town centre with neighborhoods with narrow streets where normal buses can't drive. Plus eight night lines, called Gautxori.

Bilbobus is part of a wider transport network operated by the Basque government, recent additions to which include the Metro Bilbao underground and the tram line. They link the Renfe, Euskotren Trena and FEVE train services and are heavily integrated by means of the Barik card to provide ease of movement in the city.

The company's branding takes the Basque language name for the city, Bilbo.

Lines

Bilbobus in the neighbourhood of Txurdinaga. Bilbobus Mercedes (Hispano Habit).jpg
Bilbobus in the neighbourhood of Txurdinaga.
Line 56 bus, the most used line. Arenal Bilbobus 56.jpg
Line 56 bus, the most used line.

The following is a list of the lines operated by Bilbobus: [2]

Local District Lines (Auzolinea)

Night lines (Gautxori)

Special Lines (Especial)

Football Matches: On days when matches end after 10:00 p.m., 5 lines are extended, creating special services:

Basketball matches: On match days at the Bilbao Arena, 1 line is created:

A stop is also been added to lines 30, 71, 75 and 76.

Tourist line

Bilbao City View is the official city hop-on hop-off bus service that will allow you to discover the city from a new perspective thanks to our double-decker buses with panoramic and open tops. Purchasing a ticket will allow you to hop on and off as many times as you like throughout the day.

Ridership

Ridership
YearPassengers
199532,495,855
199629,593,660
199726,840,889
199823,146,360
199922,622,032
200022,729,418
200123,277,373
200223,146,360
200324,092,925
200425,517,892
200526,086,405
200627,264,583
200727,704,658
200826,004,174
200925,754,504
201025,424,770
201126,578,761

After the inauguration of Metro Bilbao in 1995, the number of passengers transported by Bilbobus fell from 32 million to around 29 million. The underground's extension to the neighborhood of Santutxu in 1997, accelerated the decline in ridership, and it fell below 23 million in 1999. Some lines were suppressed, and the number of bus units used was lowered.

A reorganization of lines, and an improvement of the service have led to an increase of the ridership.

Busiest lines in 2007

Fares and tickets

Passengers are typically recommended to use a Creditrans ticket of the Barik card. The card is validated each time you board the bus. The Barik card is also valid on Renfe, Euskotren, Tram (Euskotren), Metro Bilbao and BizkaiBus bus services, which extend wider out of the city centre into all of Biscay.

Type of ticketIn 2024 (With government aid) [3] In 2011
Single ticket (Maximum change allowed 20€)1,35 €1,20 €
Creditrans Barik 0,33 €0,57 €
Gizatrans Barik (+65yo, disabled)0,16€0,28 €
Hirukotrans F20 (Large family General Category)0,24 €0,45 €
Hirukotrans F50 (Large Family Special Category)0,16 €0,28 €
Bilbotrans (Subsidised social ticket)0,16 €0,28 €
Gazte Bio (under 26 years of age registered in Vizcaya)Monthly: 16,50€-
Transfer in less than 45'FreeFree
En-route ticket (Fine)50€50€

Bus characteristics

The fleet is made up of 153 vehicles, which during 2012 traveled more than 6,427,000 kilometers. All have a low lower floor, so they are adapted for people with reduced mobility (PRM), and have electronic panels inside to inform of the next stop, as well as the temperature, date and time. At the busiest stops there are passenger information screens on the waiting time for the next unit (there are 128), for which the GPS device incorporated in each vehicle is used. In addition, the units incorporate surveillance cameras both to avoid violent situations inside the bus, and to record the route along which the vehicle travels and thus be able to detect possible conflict points that cause delays (cars in double file, poorly placed containers, narrow streets, etc.) Likewise, the units include loudspeakers that announce the stops in case they travel blind in the vehicle.

In 1992, the first low-floor units (Van Hool A-300); as a curiosity, these vehicles, from Belgium, participated in the Barcelona 92 Olympics, transporting disabled people to the venues where the games took place.

In 1996, the first units equipped with air conditioning were incorporated, model MAN NL 202

The average age of the fleet is about six years, and it is made up of the following bus models:

ModelBodyworkSeriesFeatures-PerformanceYear
Mercedes Benz Sprinter city 65 Mercedes-Benz 9Air conditioning, partial low floor with ramp, acoustic and optical annunciator for the blind or hearing impaired, electronic sign; minibus.2017
Karsan e-atak Karsan 20Air conditioning, low floor with ramp, kneeling, electronic sign, touch control panel, luminosity, aids for disabled people. 100% electric.2022
Mercedes Benz Citaro C2 Mercedes 600Air conditioning, low floor with ramp, kneeling, electronic sign, European Euro VI standard, which entails a reduction in nitrogen oxides by 80% and particulate mass by 66% for all new registrations.2014/2015/2016
Irizar i2e Irizar 700Air conditioning, low floor with ramp, kneeling, electronic sign. 100% electric.2016/2018
Irizar ie tram Irizar 700Aesthetic attributes of a tram that combines the large capacity, ease of access and interior circulation of a tram with the flexibility of a bus, Air conditioning, integral low floor with ramp, kneeling, electronic sign. 100% electric.2022/2023
Solaris Urbino 12 Solaris 720Air conditioning, low floor with ramp, kneeling, electronic sign, touch control panel, ample interior and exterior luminosity, plus measures to help disabled people. 100% electric.2020
Solaris Urbino 8.9 Solaris 730Air conditioning, low floor with ramp, kneeling, electronic sign, touch control panel, luminosity, aids for disabled people. 100% electric.2023
MAN LION’S CITY 10 E Man 731Air conditioning, low floor with ramp, kneeling, electronic sign, touch control panel, luminosity, aids for disabled people. With a vehicle length of 10.5 metres, the all-electric MAN Lion's City 10 E is a compact and extremely manoeuvrable off-roader. Its compact dimensions, a record turning circle of 17.2 metres and a wheelbase of just 4.4 metres make the latest member of the MAN Lion's City E family the ideal narrow-track solution for regular city centre service. 100% electric.2024
Mercedes Benz eCitaro Mercedes 740They are 12 metres long and have three doors, no step on the third door, buttons with Braille inscription and acoustic and optical warning. They have a kneeling system to facilitate access, and a Hübner electric ramp and manual superimposed for PMRSR in the central door, with an integrated Led strip, the buses have two permanent spaces reserved for wheelchairs. 100% electric.2024
Mercedes Benz Citaro Hybrid Mercedes 750They are 12 metres long and have three doors, no step on the third door, buttons with Braille inscription and acoustic and optical warning. They have a kneeling system to facilitate access, and a Hübner electric ramp and manual superimposed for PMRSR in the central door, with an integrated Led strip, the buses have two permanent spaces reserved for wheelchairs. Hybrid.2018/2019/2020/2021/2022
Mercedes Benz Citaro C2 modelo K Mercedes 900Air conditioning, low floor with ramp, kneeling, electronic sign, European Euro VI standard, which entails a reduction in nitrogen oxides by 80% and particulate mass by 66% for all new registrations. They are 10.5 meters long.2017/2018/2019
Mercedes Benz Citaro Hybrid K Mercedes 900They are 10.5 metres long and have two doors, buttons with Braille inscription and an acoustic and optical warning. They have a kneeling system to facilitate access, and a Hübner electric ramp and manual superimposed for PMRSR in the central door, with an integrated Led strip, the buses have two permanent spaces reserved for wheelchairs. Hybrid.2020/2021/2022

Retired buses, but perform other functions

ModeloCarroceríaSerieCaracterísticas-PrestacionesAño
Mercedes 0-405 N2 Hispano VÖV II 836Air conditioning, low floor with ramp, kneeling, electronic sign. Used as a mobile classroom.1998/1999
Mercedes 0-530 Citaro 1039Air conditioning, low floor with ramp, kneeling, acoustic stop announcer for the blind, electronic sign. Used for road safety education2005

References

  1. ↑ "El Ayuntamiento de Bilbao autoriza la compra de Bilbobus a Alsa y Pesa" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2016-01-09.
  2. ↑ website
  3. ↑ "Bilbao.eus".

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