Have you ever wondered what happens to many of the Titsa buses when they reach the end of their service life in Tenerife? Well, we’ll tell you. Some of the public transport vehicles in Tenerife, after serving for many years on the island, end up providing service in other parts of the world, from other Spanish regions to countries in Latin America, Africa, or Asia.
The vast majority of these vehicles have been sold by the Tenerife Island Council at quite reasonable prices after years of service on the island. The buses have been sold to third parties at an almost symbolic value, around approximately 5,000 Euros, much less than they cost when the island Corporation bought them directly from the factory.
Once they reach their destination, far from changing their paint to provide service in a new location, most of them continue to circulate with that typical livery in bright green colour. In fact, some of them have been seen circulating with the Titsa logo in streets of La Habana or in Güínes (Cuba), in Murcia, in Astana or Almaty (Kazakhstan) or in Equatorial Guinea.
This practice of selling buses that have served in the Titsa company started about three decades ago, and the number of vehicles sold amounts to just under a hundred.
A bus that once served in Titsa, now circulates through Equatorial Guinea / El Día
This practice was quite common in the company under the Tenerife Island Council, as according to quality criteria, when a bus reaches the end of its service life, it is sold to a company, either to be scrapped or to be reused. In fact, in some occasions, they have not been sold but have been donated to associations in other countries such as Cuba or Peru, among other nations.
In the last few hours, TikTok user @daniqbon wanted to reminisce in a series of images about the buses that were spared from being scrapped to continue circulating on the roads of countries with more lenient traffic regulations.
What happens when a bus reaches the end of its service life in Titsa?
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When Titsa has sold any of its vehicles, it has only done so when the vehicle has already exceeded its service life, which for the island transport company is around ten years, although some vehicles, due to their characteristics, can exceed that age, as long as the mechanical conditions are optimal for providing service safely. For instance, in recent years, some vehicles have arrived in very good conditions beyond the 12-year service life mark.
Although most vehicles that are retired from service usually end up in the scrapyard, some have been donated or sold to other countries where they are used for passenger transport or other activities, as the conditions are different.
