Ronda's going 'green' with electric buses, plus direct control of urban transport

How people get around on public transport in Ronda is changing course. After years of failed attempts to award the service to a private company, the town council is now moving towards a direct management model with the addition of a new fleet of electric buses. This step marks a turning-point for a service that has long suffered from structural problems.

The council has approved the tender for the leasing of three 100% electric buses, with an estimated cost of more than two million euros over ten years. This arrangement will allow Ronda council to have modern vehicles without having to purchase them outright, in a context where the priority is to renew the service and guarantee its continuity.

This is not an isolated move. It comes months after all councillors unanimously approved initiating the process to municipalise urban transport, a decision taken after three consecutive tenders that failed. The last one was declared void when the only company that entered a bid failed to meet the specified technical requirements, thus closing the door to private management of this bus service.

"We are municipalising the service to resolve the current problems", stated Ronda's mayor, Mari Paz Fernández, in her defence of the need to directly manage a service she considers essential for the town. She stressed that this is especially true for groups like the elderly, who rely heavily on such transport.

The new buses will be accessible and adapted to cover all districts in Ronda. Moreover, the proposed model is not limited to the vehicles themselves, but includes a comprehensive improvement of the overall system in such as passenger information, maintenance, bus shelters and route organisation. All of this is detailed in a feasibility study that has already been approved and will shortly be made available for public consultation for 30 days.

The challenge is a significant one. In towns the size of Ronda, urban transport is rarely profitable, which complicates the entry of private operators. For this reason, Ronda council has opted to guarantee the service through public funding, assuming the associated costs while prioritising its social function.

This process also coincides with another major public transport project in Ronda: the future bus station. The town hall has already begun the tendering process for its management as building is nearly complete. The new station will have 13 bays for buses and is set to improve the efficiency of interurban transport for the town. Pending the completion of the access roads being built by Adif, the new bus station is entering its final phase after a journey marked by delays and controversy.

Both projects are reshaping the transport landscape in Ronda. One is modernising urban transport with electric vehicles and direct management by the council and the other is opening a station that will reorganise bus traffic and access to this historic town. Together, these two elements seek to redefine a key service in the daily lives of Ronda residents and its many visitors.