The largest operation in the history of Titsa. So important is the purchase of 249 buses in two years worth 88 million euros approved yesterday by the Council of Tenerife to strengthen public transportation. These vehicles, of which 70% are hybrids, will arrive between 2024 and 2025 and will make it possible to renew the fleet of interurban lines that are more than ten years old.
The Council of Administration of Interurban Transport of Tenerife (Titsa), a public company dependent on the Cabildo, yesterday awarded the contract for the purchase of these buses, of which 70% are hybrid, for two years and for an exact amount of 88, 42 million euros. He President of the Council of Tenerife, Pedro Martín, assesses: “This acquisition is not a promise, but it is already approved today (for this Tuesday).” He adds: “In order to get here we have had to increase the number of people who are going to serve.”
Martín explains: «In 2022 there were around 230 workers incorporated into the workforce because we have verified a very powerful increase in the use of public transport”. In this regard, he emphasizes: «In the case of the buses of Titsa the increase was 45% in the first quarter of this year and with respect to the tram it was 49%. I believe that this is a decided impulse and we are also doing it with the acquisition of state-of-the-art buses, which will mean an estimated annual saving of about 7 tons of CO2”.
Pedro Martín recalls that “the purchase of vehicles comes hand in hand with other measures.” In this sense, he points out that “we already have the projects to start up the Bus-HOV lanes from Güímar to Santa Cruz and from the capital in the section from the University Hospital to Las Chumberas. We needed a project, we already have it, and now we will process the necessary authorizations to be able to start it up in the coming months”.
In parallel, we already increased the workforce with 230 people last year
Along with these measures, Martín announces “many others, such as the agreement with the municipalities to improve local public transport.” He gives the example of Candelaria and reveals that “this is going to be the tone: agreements with the municipalities that are willing to bet on public transport so that between the two institutions we can strengthen the services we provide to the public.”
The first vice president and president of Titsa, Enrique Arriaga, from citizensassures, for his part, that «this purchase supposes a breakthrough for Titsasince it will allow you to have own vehicles and put aside the leasing regime that existed until now for many units of the fleet. He points out that in this way “we will also achieve that all the company’s buses are adapted.”
On the other hand, Arriaga agrees with Martín that thanks to this renewal, “a significant reduction in CO2 emissions and savings in fossil fuel consumption will be achieved thanks to the hybrid technology of the new vehicles.” He explains in this regard that “hybrid buses use two types of energy to achieve their displacement, an internal combustion engine, and one or more electric ones. It is estimated that the decrease in consumption is around 30%.
This is the largest purchase operation in the history of the island transport company
Arriaga, Cs candidate for the Cabildo, assesses “the largest purchase of buses in the history of titsa». He adds that “only by promoting and improving the public transport service can sustainable mobility on the Island be improved.” He recalled the work in this mandate to promote the creation of bus lanes, which have gone from three kilometers to more than 50.
The insular director of Mobility and Vice President of Titsa, José Alberto León, summarizes: “During 2024, 145 units will arrive, among which there will be six long-distance interurban buses, 18 vehicles of 15 meters, 45 of 13 meters, 25 suburban ones also of 13 , 20 interurban buses of 11, 7 suburban buses of 11, 14 articulated buses of 18 meters and 10 microbuses. The remaining 104 units will arrive in Tenerife in the year 2025”.
