Malaga's public bus service launches new line linking TechPark and university campus with smart traffic regulating system

Malaga city council's urban planning and transport departments have joined forces to address a long-standing demand: improved connectivity between the Teatinos university campus and the Andalucía TechPark.

Malaga's transport company (EMT) has now activated the new line 25. On Friday, the Mayor of Malaga Francisco de la Torre presided over the official inauguration.

The line has a total fleet of 15 buses. This includes three additional buses on weekdays and one extra bus on weekends and holidays.

Furthermore, 18.5-metre articulated hybrid megabuses (the largest in the EMT fleet, have been added to the line) replace the previous 12-metre buses.

The frequency of the service will be coordinated by means of the intelligent transport system (ITS) at the intersection of Avenida Jiménez Fraud with Bulevar Louis Pasteur.

This device, used exclusively by EMT buses, activates green light priority via remote communication that detects the vehicle's arrival. The system reduces bus waiting times and avoids conflicts with the metro.

This solution comes after several unsuccessful attempts, such as the shuttle bus from the last metro stop (Málaga Tech), and the initial rejection of extending metro line 1 to the technology park.

Next year, the regional government will decide on the next metro extension: whether towards Ciudad Jardín or towards the PTA.

Line 25 (Paseo del Parque-Campanillas-Maqueda) directly connects the city centre with Bulevar Louis Pasteur and the university campus. It stops at the University of Malaga (UMA) stations located on the boulevard (such as Pasteur-Complejo Tecnológico-Pasteur-Gregorio Prieto) and connects with the metro network.

The new route also improves connections to the courts and Hospital Clínico. According to the city council, the route was agreed upon with residential associations.

"I think this new bus service connecting the university, the Teatinos campus, with the TechPark, with which the UMA has always had a very close relationship, is a very important milestone," rector Teodomiro López said.

"Now we are just waiting for the Andalusian regional government to connect us to the metro," he said.

"Sustainable transport is one of the most important issues. Until now, we relied on buses to transport many people to the PTA, but this greatly expands sustainable tranport options within the city," TechPark general manager Felipe Romera said.

The mayor highlighted the importance of the metro connection and brought up the concept of the 'metrobus'. De la Torre noted that the improved line 25 now operates every ten minutes.

He also mentioned the urban expansion projects of the PTA, whose expansion has just received the approval of the municipal council, and the thousands of homes planned in the Campanillas area.

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