LOCAL AND REGIONAL BUSES - SITUATION AS OF 18th SEPTEMBER

Every timetable has changes. Some routes still have very little service, especially at weekends and a few remain suspended. Some routes have been altered as to the places they stop. There are no longer any buses to Quinta do Lago, not that anyone probably used them anyway. The buses between Almancil and Loulé no longer run at weekends. Some good news is that the Albufeira - Lagos Linha Littoral bus now stops officially at Alcantarilha, at Senhora da Rocha crossroads outside the Intermarché supermarket and at Porches on the main road. That will greatly improve the service at those places. Also good news is the joining of the Portimão - Ferragudo and Lagoa - Sesmarias routes to make one bus route and which for the first time ever will have weekend buses between Lagoa, Monte Carvoeiro and Sesmarias. That will also make journeys between Lagoa and Ferragudo considerably easier. That new timetable is here.

On the contrary, buses at places such as Paderne, Galé and along the Faro - Tavira - Vila Real de Santo António route are very much reduced from what they were before. The latter though can possibly be explained by the railway line which runs parallel and trains which are both quicker and cheaper than the bus! There are gaps of 4 or 5 hours between buses on what were previously reasonable services by local standards.

In some areas, where buses were operated mainly for the benefit of students and schoolchildren, they have been removed from the public timetable.

Buses here do not take contactless debit or credit cards for fares paid on board. Perhaps this situation will push them towards it.

Bus station ticket offices are keeping reduced hours. Full list on the EVA website here.  Encerra = closed.Tickets for long distance trips, eg to Lisbon can be purchased on line, but not local tickets.

EVA and Frota Azul stops in the region are now marked on Google Maps! Major breakthrough!  Click on a bus stop symbol and you will see the NORMAL times of the buses and their destination. The route numbers on the departure board are however fictitious. They are not shown on the front of the bus. Some stops do not show up on the map unless you zoom right in. I haven't yet checked whether the information has been changed to show teh changes that came into effect this week.

INTERNATIONAL BUS / COACH SERVICES BETWEEN ALGARVE TOWNS AND SPAIN

A very limited service of just two daytime journeys each way now operates on the Rede Expressos Lagos Albufeira - Faro - Seville route. On some nights there is an an additional journey but this costs more than twice the fare of the daytime option! The overnight Lisbon - Seville service is also running every night. This stops in Albufeira and Faro around 0200hrs in each direction.

TRAINS

Trains are running to the 'normal' timetables. Information here.

Ticket sales on Alfa Pendular (AP) and Intercidades (IC) trains are limited to two-thirds of the normal capacity. Remember that reservation is COMPULSORY on these trains.

Those travelling elsewhere in Portugal should check FOR THE EXACT DATE OF TRAVEL at the official website www.cp.pt

GOOD NEWS - tickets for REGIONAL trains can now be bought from the CP website or using their 'app'. You must either print your ticket or keep it on your mobile device. There is no 'collection' option, if only because most stations have no ticket office and there are no ticket machines.

LONG DISTANCE BUSES / COACHES

REDE EXPRESSOS (coach / long distance bus) is now operating about 75% of normal scheduled service on main routes.They are currently selling tickets only up to two weeks in advance. Any journey must be carefully checked at www.rede-expressos.pt

TAXIS INCLUDING UBER

 FURTHER DISCOUNTS TO 'SEASON TICKETS' ON REGIONAL BUSES

A promotional drive has further reduced the cost of monthly passes to 50% of the base fare and with a maximum price per month of €40 ie equivalent to €2 each working day. Might be useful to long term visitors staying outside towns or in places not served by the purely urban networks. Details at http://eva-bus.com/pdf/tarifas_inter_2020.pdf

Are official bus timetables up to date?

People have asked whether the timetables on the official sites are up to date. So far as I am aware they are. It is just that despite a huge increase in population and general demographics, some timetables have not changed for 15 or even 20 years!

NEW WEBSITE FOR SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT IN THE ALGARVE - USEFUL MAP OF BUS ROUTES AND STOPS

A new website has been created with the aim of promoting sustainable transport in the Algarve. Among the early features is a map, overlaid onto Google Maps, which shows every inter-urban bus route and all stopping places. A commendable start and at first glance you may think it's a comprehensive network, but remember that many routes run only once or twice a day. The site offers no timetable information that I can find. The map will be a useful cross reference to other information. It can be found at https://algarve.city-platform.com/app/?a=carreiras - link will open in a new window. The main website itself is www.vamus.pt and is available in Portuguese and English.

TOURIST PASS FOR ALGARVE LINE REGIONAL TRAINS

Available from STAFFED stations only. (Lagos, Portimao, Tunes, Albufeira, Loulé, Faro, Olhao, Tavira and Vila Real de Santo António) and are NOT VALID ON ALFA PENDULAR OR INTERCITY TRAINS. Do the sums first. A return (round-trip) ticket from Faro to Lagos is only €14,80.

Two days for €20,90 and three days for €31,90. Reduced fares for children. Days must be consecutive. The seven day pass is not being advertised, that I can find.

TIMETABLES AT BUS STATIONS ETC