Travel from Vélez-Malaga to Malaga city for less than a euro

Transport

The eastern Costa del Sol town officially became part of the Malaga transport consortium on Friday 1 May meaning that bus fares have become cheaper and some journeys cost just 95 cents

Eugenio Cabezas

Travelling from Vélez-Málaga to Malaga city has just become cheaper as the eastern Costa del Sol town officially became part of the Consorcio de ... Transporte de Málaga (Malaga transport consortium).

The Mayor of Vélez-Málaga, Jesús Lupiáñez, attended the signing of the agreement on Thursday 30 April, together with the councillor for transport, Celestino Rivas, who said that the agreements signalled "a clear improvement in transport and a clear saving for users".

Velez-Malaga is now connected to a metropolitan network that integrates buses, metro and suburban trains.

But beyond the price, the leap is structural. Vélez-Málaga is now connected to a metropolitan network that integrates buses, metro and suburban train under a single card, with subsidised transfers and a zone-based fare system that automates discounts.

The economic impact is direct: each trip to Malaga will save around three euros, which can translate into more than 1,500 euros per year for regular users. In the case of Rincón de la Victoria, the fare is reduced to 71 cents.

33,000 people

The agreement includes additional benefits such as even lower fares for young people - up to 76 cents for journeys to Malaga - and transfers for just 39 cents between different means of transport within a limited time.

According to the town hall's forecasts, around 33,000 people will benefit directly from this integration in Vélez-Málaga, which represents one of the greatest advances in public transport in the Axarquía in recent years.

To use the system, it will be necessary to have a Consortium card, which can be purchased for between 1.5 and two euros and recharged at different authorised points, automatically applying discounts according to the route.

Almáchar, El Borge and Moclinejo continue to demand entry into the transport consortium.

The incorporation comes at a key moment for Axarquía, marked by population growth, increased tourism and a greater dependence on connections with Malaga city for work, tourism and educational reasons. Increased traffic on the A-7 motorway has lead to frequent tailbacks and accidents in recent years, especially in the Rincón de la Victoria area.

Smaller municipalities such as Almáchar, El Borge and Moclinejo, continue to demand entry into the transport consortium and the Junta de Andalucía has committed to continue looking into new extensions.