The Municipal Government of Arrecife, led by Mayor Yonathan de León, is implementing a plan to modernise and enhance the efficiency of the public bus transport service in Lanzarote’s capital. Over the first two years of his term, an investment of nearly €4 million has been allocated to renew the fleet of Urban Buses, marking the largest investment in the city’s history.
Fleet Modernisation
Yonathan de León has outlined that modernising the fleet, which has an average age of 20 years across several units, has been a priority for his administration. Since 2023, the municipal budgets have allocated significant funds for the acquisition of new buses, overseen by the Budget Management Unit attached to the Mayor’s office.
New Buses Coming Soon
The Department of Mobility and Transport, headed by Councillor Mario González Altube, has recently shared images on social media of four new buses that the Arrecife City Council tendered at the end of 2024. These buses are currently in the final assembly phase at the factory and are expected to enter service by the end of this autumn. The buses will be powered by electricity, with an investment close to €2 million. The official tenders for these types of vehicles typically have an average manufacturing time of one year.
Improving Public Transport
Mario González Altube emphasised that the addition of these four new units, combined with the two introduced last December, will enhance public transport in Arrecife, providing more routes with shorter travel times, improved schedules, and services tailored to the mobility needs of a population now exceeding 72,000 residents.
Future Investments
González Altube announced that his department is finalising a new tender for the purchase of two additional large buses, which will also be 100% accessible, similar to the two units introduced last December and those currently in manufacturing. For the acquisition of these two new buses, the council has allocated a budget of €1 million.
Overall Investment Commitment
In total, the Arrecife Municipal Government, under Yonathan de León’s leadership, has invested approximately €4 million in the renewal and modernisation of the Urban Bus fleet during this initial phase of his term. This has resulted in the introduction of eight new buses, comprising two introduced in December, another four that have been awarded and will be received this autumn, and a tender scheduled in the coming weeks for the acquisition of two additional large units.
