Changes to Giro bus routes in Albufeira

Still no details about new routes and times. Good PR is clearly still not relevant. What I have found out is that fares will not be going up and that I think there will be no changes to the existing five routes, except they will have numbers as well as names. Also the website and app now enables you to see how far away the next bus is from the stop you are waiting at.

VAMUS have advised those with passes for the number 8 route to Rocha Baixinha and the 75 through Galé and Salgados that they must obtain new ones at the bus station.

There is still no information available about the changes to the buses due to come into effect on 1st December. This will be no surprise to those who live here!

A new official website www.vamusalgarve.pt/giro is under construction. At the moment it has partial information about the five existing routes including route maps marking all the stops.  Using the map and the 'origin / destination' function under Lines (American English, yuk!) you can see the times of the buses between any two stops. You do of course need to be able to read a map to you can find out where you are and where you want to go to. The 'plan your journey' function is not yet working.

I should have course have said that it is quite likely the fares will go up, after no increase for several years though. Free travel for schoolchildren will be maintained.

Another report says that, in time, it will be possible to recharge passes on line and that there will be a real time app to show where the bus is, which is already the case with VAMUS or most of them anyway. Those who are technologically limited will have to stand and wait, in hope, as has been the case for 150 years.

The new operator for the Giro service will be Grupo Barraqueiro, who operate among other things the Fertagus local trains in Lisbon, the Metro sul do Tejo tram system south of the river, the local buses around Évora, many buses around Lisbon and who are major players in the Rede Expressos national coach system.

[As an aside, I think everyone over age 10 should be given a smartphone by the government. That way they cannot be said to be discriminating when it comes to providing services.]