Bilbobus

Bilbobus is the name for metropolitan bus services in Bilbao.

Bilbobus
Service typebus service
OperatorBioBide[1]
WebsiteBilbobus

The service is owned by the city council of Bilbao. Operations will be transferred to Veolia Transport, the company that won the contract in May 2008. The buses can be distinguished by their red colour and large white lettering, and there are 28 major lines serving the city, with eight smaller lines connecting the town centre with neighborhoods with narrow streets where normal buses can't drive. Plus eight night lines, called Gautxori.

Bilbobus has recently won a European Union prize for service excellence. It is part of a wider transport network operated by the Basque government, recent additions to which include the Metro Bilbao underground and the EuskoTran tram line. They join the Renfe, EuskoTren and FEVE train services and are heavily integrated by means of the Barik card to provide ease of movement in the city.

The company's branding takes the Basque language name for the city, Bilbo.

Lines
Bilbobus in the neighbourhood of Txurdinaga.
Line 56 bus, the most used line.

The following is a list of the lines operated by Bilbobus, taken from their website:

  • 01 Arangoiti - Plaza Biribila
  • 03 Plaza Biribila - Otxarkoaga
  • 10 Elorrieta - Plaza Biribila
  • 11 Deustu - Atxuri
  • 13 San Ignazio - Txurdinaga
  • 18 San Ignazio - Zorrotza
  • 22 Sarrikue - Atxuri
  • 27 Arabella - Betolatza
  • 28 Uribarri - Altamira
  • 30 Txurdinaga - Miribilla
  • 34 Otxarkoaga - Santutxu
  • 38 Otxarkoaga - Termibus
  • 40 La Peña - Plaza Biribila
  • 43 Garaizar - Santutxu
  • 48 Santutxu - Lezeaga
  • 50 Buia - Plaza Biribila
  • 56 La Peña - Jesusen Bihotza
  • 57 Miribilla - Ospitalea
  • 58 Mintegitxueta - Atxuri
  • 62 San Mames - Arabella
  • 71 Miribilla - San Ignazio
  • 72 Larraskitu - Castaños/Gazteleku
  • 75 San Adrián - Atxuri
  • 76 Artatzu/Xalbador - Moyúa
  • 77 Peñascal - Mina Del Morro
  • 85 Zazpilanda - Atxuri
  • 88 Kastrexana - Indautxu

Local District Lines (Auzobus)
  • A1: Asunción - Plaza Biribila
  • A2: Solokoetxe - Plaza Biribila
  • A3: Olabeaga - Moyua
  • A4: Zorrotzaurre - Deustu
  • A5: Prim - Plaza Biribila
  • A6: Arangoiti - Deustu
  • A7: Artxanda - Arenal
  • A8: San Justo - Ametzola

Night lines (Gautxori)
  • G1: Arabella - Moyua
  • G2: Otxarkoaga - Plaza Biribila
  • G3: Larraskitu - Plaza Biribila
  • G4: La Peña - Plaza Biribila
  • G5: San Adrian/Miribilla - Plaza Biribila
  • G6: Altamira/Zorrotza - Plaza Biribila
  • G7: Mina Del Morro - Plaza Biribila
  • G8: Arangoiti - Plaza Biribila

Special Lines (Especial)
  • E1: Plaza Biribila - Bilbao Arena
  • E2: Plaza Biribila - Fronton Bizkaia

Ridership
Ridership
YearPassengers
199532,495,855
199629,593,660
199726,840,889
199823,146,360
199922,622,032
200022,729,418
200123,277,373
200223,146,360
200324,092,925
200425,517,892
200526,086,405
200627,264,583
200727,704,658
200826,004,174
200925,754,504
201025,424,770
201126,578,761

After the inauguration of Metro Bilbao in 1995, the number of passengers transported by Bilbobus fell from 32 million to around 29 million. The underground's extension to the neighborhood of Santutxu in 1997, accelerated the decline in ridership, and it fell below 23 million in 1999. Some lines were suppressed, and the number of bus units used was lowered.

A reorganization of lines, and an improvement of the service have led to an increase of the ridership. The number of passengers has risen around 3 to 4 per cent yearly, and is expected to reach more than 28 million in 2008, its highest level in ten years.

Busiest lines in 2007
  • Peñascal - Mina Del Morro: 2,008,969 passengers
  • La Peña - Jesusen Bihotza: 1,959,000 passengers
  • Otxarkoaga - Plaza Biribila: 1,789,088 passengers
  • Txurdinaga - Miribilla: 1,681,512 passengers
  • San Ignazio - Txurdinaga: 1,673,612 passengers

Tickets

Passengers are typically recommended to use a Creditrans ticket of the Barik card. The card is validated each time you board the bus. The Barik card is also valid on trains, Metro Bilbao and BizkaiBus bus services, which extend wider out of the city centre into all of Biscay.

Tickets are also available on board at a flat rate of 1.15 euro.

References
  1. "El Ayuntamiento de Bilbao autoriza la compra de Bilbobus a Alsa y Pesa" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2016-01-09.

Media related to Bilbobus at Wikimedia Commons

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