VERY SMALL INCREASE IN SOME TRAIN FARES FROM 1st JANUARY

It's the first increase for two years. Some fares are not changing at all, for most others it's a matter of 5 or 10 cents extra. I have updated the trains page and will make changes on other pages asap..

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NEW OPERATOR FOR ALGARVE REGIONAL BUSES - PREVIOUSLY EVA AND FROTA AZUL ROUTES

The regional bus service in the Algarve is now operating under a new name - VAMUS.
Most buses are already in the new colour scheme. Click a picture to see it full size. I will try to get some better ones!


There is a new website vamusalgarve.pt and an 'app' for your mobile available in Portuguese, Spanish and (American) English. It includes interactive maps of all routes including the stops, an A to B  journey planner and a calculator for season ticket fares.  It also seems that there will be a pre paid ticket card available which can be renewed on line rather than having to go to a bus station as at present.

FARES INCREASE FROM 1st JANUARY

There was a small fares increase from 1st January, the first for two years. Some fares have not changed, others are increased by 5 cents. At the moment, the official website does not list fares for single journeys, only season ticket prices. Special fares apply to Aerobus route 56.

RECENT  CHANGES TO REGIONAL BUS SERVICE

However, the new company is following the policy of the previous organisations by announcing changes with as little as 1 day's notice. If you are planning a trip for the future, please check times again.

There are two completely new bus routes for the Mar Shopping / IKEA complex between Faro and Loulé. One bus (route 2) runs six times daily between Quarteira, Almancil and Mar Shopping, while another bus runs five times daily from Olhão via the Faro ring road (and not via the main bus station) to Mar Shopping and Loulé, times here.  Also re-instated is the fast bus direct between the airport, Albufeira, Lagoa, Portimão and Lagos.  Now branded Aerobus, this runs twice a day during winter, planned to be six times a day in summer. Details here. Also new is route 118, three times each weekday between Loulé and the airport via Mar Shopping and the University campus at Gambela.

Times on the Transrápido (Faro - Lagos) and Linha Littoral (Albufeira - Lagos) routes have been adjusted to give a few minutes extra for the journeys and make times more accurate.

A backward step was the reduction in weekend service on the 'Linha Littoral' between Albufeira and Lagos, with the result that the last bus from Lagos to Albufeira at the weekend is at the ridiculously early hour of 16.15 and from Portimão to Albufeira the last bus at the weekend is at 16.59!

For next summer, a new route 'EVA Cliffs Line' is planned to run daily every two hours between Alvor and Armação de Pêra via Praia da Rocha, Portimão, Ferragudo, Carvoeiro, Benagil and Praia da Marinha. Proposed timetable here

ALGARVE REGIONAL  BUS SERVICE - SITUATION STILL POOR AT WEEKENDS

REDE- EXPRESSOS CROSS BORDER COACH / LONG DISTANCE BUS SERVICE TO SPAIN

The cross border coach / long distance bus service to and from Seville is operating, but with a limited service. There are currently only two journeys each day in each direction Lagos - Seville, calling at Portimão, Albufeira, Faro Airport, Faro and Tavira in Portugal, also in Huelva in Spain. (By comparison, there were eight journeys each way in winter 2019.) There is no longer a night-time service on this route. Times here.

Bus Station ticket office hours

Paying for the bus - local buses in the Algarve region

Buses in the Algarve do not take contactless debit or credit cards. The crisis situation did not push them towards it. Unless you have a pre paid pass or season ticket, for local journeys it's cash only on board. Change is given, but bus drivers will not thank you for a €20 note. You can pay for a pre paid pass or season ticket at a bus station using a debit card.

Taxis, Uber, BOLT etc are available almost everywhere. Most municipal taxis do NOT accept card payments. All taxi companies have English speaking staff. In most areas, they operate as co-operatives with a central contact point by phone or app. A simple internet search 'taxi + (name of town)' will find this information.

These are available as three day versions at €30,50 and seven days for €38,20. Days must be consecutive. They can be bought at any bus station ticket office and the bus ticket office in Largo do Dique, Portimão. They are valid on ALL buses operated by VAMUS listed in timetables on this site. They are NOT VALID on Mundial Turismo (MT), Rede-Expressos or other long distance services or international services, nor on the local urban buses in Lagos, Portimão, Albufeira, Loulé, Vilamoura, Quarteira, Faro and Tavira. The local buses in those towns have their own day passes, multi-ride tickets and season tickets for frequent or regular users.

Discounts for long distance train travel!

OTHER DISCOUNTS ON TRAIN TICKETS

If you are aged 25 or under, CP is offering a 25% discount on all Alfa Pendular, Intercidades, InterRegional and Regional train tickets. You can use this discount in any class, any day of the week. Just show official ID with proof of your age such as a Citizen card, ID card, driving licence or passport. You can buy your tickets from long-distance ticket offices, netTICKET travel agents. These tickets can be reissued or refunded.

Young people aged 26 or over can still enjoy the Cartão Jovem discount for individual journeys.

In addition, a 40% or higher discount is available to all travellers on long distance Intercity and Alfa Pendular trains who make reservations on line eight days or more in advance. Reservations open 60 days before travel. On some trains the number of these discounted tickets is limited. These tickets can be exchanged for a different train, but are not refunded if you don't make the trip. You can buy your print at home tickets at www.cp.pt and in English. DO NOT buy tickets from RailEurope or any other site as they cannot offer the discount and cannot provide you with the mandatory seat reservations. These you would have to obtain locally and pay an additional fee for them. Anyone over 65 can travel half fare on local trains so long they have ID eg passport.

STEP FREE ACCESS TO TRAINS - NOT POSSIBLE

I must emphasise that there is NO STEP FREE ACCESS at any Algarve station to any train while it is in the platform. All trains in use have steps up into the carriage. Some platforms are very low, making it difficult for some.  I have added an item to the 'disabled page' with details of the various stations.

BUS DELAYS

Timetables may not be currently posted at bus stations and were not seen at Faro and Loulé. They are never seen at most bus stops and as of December 2021 it is apparent that the new company is not yet replacing out of date timetables that are posted. Copies of the official timetables can be downloaded from the VAMUS website, but finding which one(s) you need can be a problem. For example, between Albufeira and Portimão there are four different bus routes each with its own timetable. Copies can be obtained from bus station ticket offices. The official timetables have information in English as to which days buses do or do not run.