Minimum Services and Over One Hour Waits Due to Alicante Interurban Bus Strike

Interurban buses begin a new day of strike action. Unions announced several stoppages on the last Thursdays of each month, coinciding with Alicante City Council plenary sessions. The La Alcoyana Works Council has also threatened to strike during the Hogueras, leaving buses running on minimum services during the city's major festivities.

This Thursday at 7 a.m., the service started at minimum capacity. The interurban bus will operate at minimum capacity throughout the day, and although the main routes will not be significantly affected, some like line 21 will have long waiting times.

Vectalia has issued several alerts regarding minimum services. On line 21, connecting Alicante and El Campello, waiting times reach up to 70 minutes, with the last bus in each direction departing shortly before 9 p.m.

The rest of the main routes will have more frequent intervals. Two of the most used routes, line 23 between Alicante, Sant Joan Hospital, and Mutxamel, and line 24, which connects with the University of Alicante and San Vicente, will run every 20 minutes.

The airport bus, line C-6, will be the least affected by the strike, with services every 14 minutes, while the night service will maintain its usual schedule, according to the service concessionaire.

Drivers went on strike this Thursday to protest the "lack of concrete progress" and the "progressive deterioration of public transport services." In this regard, the Works Council denounces "serious deficiencies" in an "aging" fleet.

Specifically, drivers criticize the aging of these buses: "Seven out of ten vehicles are between 12 and 18 years old, an age that daily endangers drivers and users," criticizes the Works Council, pointing to an administration that "has not tendered the service for more than 14 years, maintaining it with provisional contracts and without structural investments."