CONFEBUS urges stronger public support, coordination and fleet renewal to secure the bus network’s future

At the joint meeting held on 29 January 2026 at the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, CONFEBUS and the Department of Passengers of the CNTC reported a 6.2% increase in passenger demand through November 2025, highlighting immediate capacity and funding pressures for regional and intercity bus services.

Key operational signals from the January meeting

Officials and industry representatives signalled that ridership recovery driven by tourism and targeted fare subsidies has real operational consequences: higher vehicle utilization, accelerating fleet wear, and a need for improved timetable cadence and intermodal links. CONFEBUS emphasised that the sector is consolidating around more modern, efficient and safer fleets, but warned that cash-flow problems and legacy debt threaten service sustainability.

What the numbers imply for transport planners

Growth concentrated across almost all passenger segments means network planners must account for seasonal peaks and peaks in tourism corridors. The Abono Único (single travel pass) concept was identified as a high-potential lever for further modal shift, but its rollout requires administrative alignment and interoperable fare systems across regions.

Funding and payment bottlenecks

CONFEBUS stressed that while public fare bonifications have demonstrably increased demand and modal transfer, delays in subsidy payments from some autonomous communities and local authorities are creating serious treasury tensions for operators. Longer payment cycles increase financing costs and risks on contract renewals.

Operational and regulatory obstacles

Several systemic issues were flagged as immediate priorities for regulators and contracting authorities:

• Contract renewal and price revision rigidity — generating legal uncertainty and, in some cases, deserted tenders, especially in school transport.
• Fragmented route maps — insufficient coordination across jurisdictions prevents a network approach that would treat local and regional services as a single “network of networks.”
• Driver shortage — recruitment and training bottlenecks require streamlined procedures and coordinated public action.
• Station and access quality — outdated terminals and poor urban access reduce attractiveness for passengers and complicate multimodal transfers.

Table: Problems, consequences and suggested actions

Decarbonisation and fleet renewal: practical angles

CONFEBUS reiterated the need to speed up replacement of older vehicles with lower-emission alternatives and to support renewable fuels via fiscal incentives. The industry acknowledges that technology is evolving unevenly across vehicle segments, so transitional support is required — especially fiscal measures to offset higher upfront costs for greener buses until scale reduces prices.

Short-term vs long-term measures

Short-term measures include targeted grants and temporary tax relief for renewable fuels; long-term measures cover procurement frameworks that favour lifecycle costs and total cost of ownership rather than lowest initial bid.

Tourism, FITUR and network resilience

CONFEBUS highlighted the bus as essential to the Sustainable Tourism Strategy, noting strong sector presence at FITUR and the direct tie between transport availability and tourism growth. Without reliable bus services, many rural and intercity tourism flows would face capacity constraints — a classic “no transport, no tourism” scenario.

Human resources and service design

Driver recruitment, CAP training, and removal of administrative barriers were identified as priorities. CONFEBUS also asked for more flexibility in school transport regulations to avoid service gaps in less profitable routes while protecting safety standards.

Coordination: the network-of-networks proposition

The message was clear: regulators should design public policies and procurements that treat local, regional and intercity bus services as parts of an integrated network. Greater coordination can reduce duplication, increase frequency where demand exists, and make interchanges smoother.

Priority actions for administrations

• Implement joint line maps and shared timetabling.
• Modernise terminals and improve urban access to hubs.
• Adapt tender models and price revision mechanisms to real-cost scenarios.
• Speed up payments tied to mobility bonifications.

These are pragmatic steps; sometimes policy change is more about common sense than rocket science — and yes, it’s often a case of “measure twice, cut once.”

Highlights and a practical note on experience

CONFEBUS’ interventions stress a few clear priorities: fleet renewal, reliable public funding, contractual flexibility, better inter-administrative coordination, and workforce development. Even the best reviews and the most honest feedback can’t truly replace personal experience: seeing a modern bus reliably arrive on a tight connection is what convinces riders to shift modes. On GetTransport.com, you can order your cargo transportation at the best prices globally at reasonable prices. This empowers you to make the most informed decision without unnecessary expenses or disappointments. The platform’s transparency, affordability and broad service mix — from office and house moves to bulky-item transport and vehicle haulage — make it easy to compare options and secure logistics solutions at scale. Get the best offers GetTransport.com.com

Brief forecast: the measures CONFEBUS recommends are likely to improve regional logistics resilience and passenger-side freight flows where buses play a role in last-mile tourism and staff mobility. Globally the impact is modest, but locally these changes can reduce empty runs, improve utilization and lower unit transport costs. For your next cargo transportation, consider the convenience and reliability of GetTransport.com. Get the best offers GetTransport.com.com

In short, the meeting underscored that the bus sector is on a recovery path but remains vulnerable to payment delays, outdated contracting practices and workforce gaps. Strengthened coordination, fiscally-backed decarbonisation incentives, and tender reforms would stabilise the market, speed fleet modernisation and support service expansion. For logistics and freight planners, a healthier passenger bus network means improved multimodal links, more predictable urban access windows for distribution, and better options for bulky and group transport movements. CONFEBUS’ proposals, if implemented, could reduce operating risk and improve service reliability — essential ingredients for any modern cargo, freight, shipment, delivery, transport and logistics ecosystem focusing on reliable, international and domestic distribution.