He Tenerife Council is committed to bringing on-demand public transport to the midlands of the entire island, from north to south, in the immediate future, as demonstrated by the project to include the Agache region (Güímar, Fasnia and Arico) in the network starting next year. ). The objective is that the population can access a bus stop that allows them to travel to urban centers. There are two examples, similar but different, that work very well.
They are Los Realejos, in the North. and Candelaria, in the South. A total of 176,347 travelers were transported last year by both services. Many more in Villa Mariana, 159,096, compared to the 17,251 in the northern town. The reason is that in the first case a shared taxi is combined with buses on six lines, while in the northern example only the first model is used and on only two routes.
In 2009, the Candelaria City Council, aware of the problems of mobility and access to public transport in the neighborhoods furthest from the municipal administrative center, launched this pioneering urban public transport system based on the use of accessible taxis with capacity for nine plazas.
The service is today structured into six regular lines that connect the neighborhoods with the central core of Candelaria. For Line 1 (Barranco Hondo) and Line 2 (Igueste) a 17 to 21 seat bus is used. The rest of the lines (3, Araya; 4, Cuevecitas Malpaís; 5, Playa La Viuda and 6, Circular medians) are operated by accessible shared-use taxis. Three taxi licenses are attached to the agreement. The frequency of transport is between an hour and half an hour. There is service every day of the year and even reinforcements on lines with the highest demand such as 1 and 2.
Between 2021 and October of this year, 448,336 residents of Candelaria have moved through this system. The service has ensured that those who live far from the municipal administrative center have better access, lower economic costs and faster. A saving in time and energy consumption that translates into a lower environmental impact on the territory.
Furthermore, the transport model avoids the depopulation of the medians and integrates people with reduced mobility into the general system as they are fully accessible vehicles.
The mayor of Candelaria, Mari Brito, values: «We have worked tirelessly to find solutions that guarantee equal access to essential services. In this endeavor, a pioneering project emerges in our nationally recognized municipality, Urban Transportation on Demand. She recalls that “it began in 2009 and has made it possible to connect the medians of the municipality with the town to facilitate faster and more comfortable access to public services, health centers, schools and other essential areas of daily life.”
Brito emphasizes: “We are committed to continuing to work towards a more inclusive and accessible municipality, and we are committed to sustainable mobility.” Hence, he adds, “every year we improve and adapt to the real needs of people.” For example, he clarifies, “expanding trips and lines, including stops, or improving schedules.” He concludes: “This has a positive impact on the lives of citizens and is reflected in the data on the number of users.”
The example of Los Realejos
Five taxi licenses undertake the on-demand transportation service in Los Realejos regulated by agreement with the Cabildo de Tenerife. The initiative, implemented in 2011, had a new boost this week with the agreement of the Island Council to subsidize it with 55,000 euros in the period 2023-2024. Service hours are Monday to Friday, from 07:00 to 20:00. It covers areas of Icod el Alto, on the one hand, and the so-called District VI (Palo Blanco, Las Llanadas and La Ferruja) on the other. Last year, almost 18,000 residents moved with this system.
The Councilor for Mobility, Alexis Hernández, values an average annual increase of 20% and more than a thousand travel routes. The adapted taxis connect with Titsa line 354 in the case of Icod el Alto and with line 330 (urban) and the one that arrives from Benijos (La Orotava) in the other three population centers.
The service facilitates collective mobility and transportation to and from the most dispersed centers of the municipality to the urban centers of Realejo Alto and San Agustín. It includes the possibility of paying with a ten+ wallet card, the use of monthly youth or resident passes and discounts for transfers.
Adolfo Gonzalez, mayor of Los Realejos, values “the shared taxi very positively because it brings the population of the most remote areas closer to the center of the town; collective, accessible and economical. A service that, he emphasizes, “exceeds 18,000 users annually and serves seniors without the means to travel.” He concludes: “A new model of urban mobility, an example for other localities, for being sustainable and economical as well as for its obvious social work at low cost.”
