Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 24 Mar. (Europa Press) –
The president of the Cabildo de Tenerife, Rosa Dávila, unveiled this Monday at the Titsa facilities in Cuevas Blancas the initial 31 vehicles from a total of 104 that are set to be added throughout 2025.
This fleet upgrade aims to enhance the routes with the highest demand and to improve accessibility for all passengers, particularly those with reduced mobility or sensory impairments.
Accompanying Rosa Dávila were the Minister of Mobility, Eulalia García, the CEO of Titsa, Vicky Padilla, alongside Jonay Álvarez, the leader of the Social Action Service of ONCE, and a blind user, Manuel Salcedo Montoya.
The primary goal of this fleet renewal is to bolster the most frequently used routes, thereby enhancing the capacity and frequency on crucial paths across Tenerife, as noted by the council.
Included among the routes set to benefit from this improvement are: Line 108 (Santa Cruz – La Orotava – Los Realejos), Line 111 (Santa Cruz – Los Cristianos – Costa Adeje), and Line 120 (Santa Cruz – Güímar via Candelaria).
“This fleet renewal will not only enhance service on the most utilised routes but also allow passengers to enjoy more modern, comfortable, and accessible transport. We are dedicated to providing quality public transportation for everyone,” stated the president.
The new buses comprise 15 intercity diesel vehicles, each measuring 15 metres, and 16 hybrid suburban vehicles with a low floor of 12 metres, which will progressively be introduced on the busiest routes.
This modernisation will also bring down the average age of the intercity fleet to just three years, ensuring savings of up to 30% on fossil fuel consumption.
On her part, Minister of Mobility Eulalia García emphasised the initiative’s aim to enhance service frequency and punctuality while improving stop facilities and, of course, accessibility.
“As we continue to expand the fleet and recruit new drivers, we can significantly enhance the service,” she remarked.
Accessibility as a priority
The Cabildo de Tenerife has placed significant emphasis on the accessibility of the new buses.
With these units, Titsa reinforces its commitment to individuals with disabilities by adapting vehicles to enable straightforward access to the service.
“The Cabildo is firmly committed to ensuring that individuals with functional or sensory disabilities are considered. Thus, we have ensured that the new buses possess specific accessibility features and devices to facilitate access for all users, irrespective of their needs,” explained Rosa Dávila.
In this context, she highlighted that the Cabildo de Tenerife has established the island’s disability table as a platform for communication and collaboration with disability groups, aimed at designing genuinely accessible and inclusive transport.
Jonay Álvarez, the head of the Social Action Service of ONCE, and blind user Manuel Salcedo Montoya, were able to observe the improvements in the accessibility of the new buses.
In this regard, Jonay Álvarez expressed his appreciation for the advances being made in public transport accessibility, thanking both the Cabildo and Titsa for “consistently involving ONCE and all relevant associations in implementing these improvements.”
Equipment
The newly incorporated buses within the Titsa fleet are fitted with various adaptations to guarantee that all individuals, irrespective of their capabilities, can utilise public transport comfortably and safely.
Among the key accessibility features are a lifting and lowering system, which assists with the entering and exiting of passengers with reduced mobility by adjusting the vehicle’s height to that of the pavement, wheelchair spaces, Braille-embossed buttons, optical and acoustic alerts, a double ramp, light signals for payment systems, and an announcement system for the next stop.
