Public transport

Additional direct weekday bus service introduced between Torre del Mar and Malaga city

The M-380 will complement the existing routes and is being introduced just three months after Vélez-Málaga joined the metropolitan transport consortium on 1 May

File photo of Torre del Mar station. (E. CABEZAS)

30/07/2026 a las 11:12h.

A new direct bus service from Torre del Mar on the eastern Costa del Sol to Malaga city started on Thursday 30 July. The Malaga ... metropolitan transport consortium has introduced the M-380 service, designed to reduce journey times and strengthen a connection that has seen a sharp rise in passenger numbers in recent months following Vélez-Málaga’s accession to the consortium on 1 May.

The service will run six times in each direction from Monday to Friday (working days). From Torre del Mar bus station, departures will be at 7am, 9.30am, 12.40pm, 3.40pm, 6pm and 8.50pm.

In the opposite direction, buses will depart from Malaga city's man bus station at 8.15am, 10.45am, 1.45pm, 4.40pm, 17.40pm and 9.50pm. These services will make a pick-up stop at the Muelle Heredia bus station before heading to Torre del Mar, with no intermediate stops in other towns on the route.

The M-380 will run six services in each direction and aims to meet the sharp rise in passenger numbers since Vélez-Málaga joined the transport consortium

The new route is aimed particularly at students and commuters who regularly travel between the Axarquía and Malaga city. The consortium is also promoting it as an alternative to private cars on the corridor, which is characterised by frequent traffic jams on the approaches to Málaga via the A-7 motorway.

The M-380 will complement the existing routes and is being introduced just three months after Vélez-Málaga joined the metropolitan transport consortium on 1 May. This integration has enabled significant fare reductions to be introduced, but has also led to a surge in the use of services that did not always have sufficient capacity.

The rise in demand has led, in recent weeks, to buses being full, passengers being unable to board and complaints about the lack of services at certain times of day and the fact that passengers can no longer buy tickets in advance. A petition calling for increased capacity, advance ticket sales and extra services on the busiest routes has been started.

The new connection comes in the wake of complaints about overcrowding, whilst Vélez is considering integrating its local urban and university bus routes

For the time being, the M-380 will only operate on weekdays, from Monday to Friday. At the same time, Vélez-Málaga is continuing discussions to explore the inclusion of urban and university transport routes in the consortium, a process which first requires the preparation of economic and financial reports.

The new direct connection thus represents the first concrete response to the overcrowding recorded since May, although the town hall acknowledges that services will have to continue to be adjusted to meet demand.