Algarve Public Transport Information

YOU ARE STRONGLY ADVISED TO READ THE GUIDANCE NOTES first as, at first sight, the operations here can seem a bit complicated.
For example, most buses in the Algarve do not have route / line numbers as they do in many countries.

GENERAL UPDATE COMPLETED

I was mainly looking for fare increases but found none, other than some tiny changes to train fares and an increase of 2 cents on the cash fare you will pay in Guimarães. It's unusual for bus times to changed at this time of year. No changes found.

EVA RETAINS ALGARVE REGIONAL BUS CONTRACT

The Association of Algarve Municipal Authorities (AMAL) has announced the award of a five year contract to existing operator EVA for the continued operation of the region's inter-urban bus services. There is little detail of any improvements yet available, other than that provision is to be made for the transport of bicycles on the three main coastal routes and on the 'Aerobus' service between Lagos and the airport. How that will be managed on a day to day basis should be interesting! Let's hope that AMAL have asked for more frequent and more regular services at least between the major towns, especially at weekends. Intervals of 2 - 3 hours between buses are simply not acceptable if they wish to attract more users.

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!

ELECTRIFICATION WORK ON THE ALGARVE RAILWAY LINE - LACK OF PROGRESS REPORT

Work to electrify the two remaining stretches (Tunes - Lagos and Faro - Vila Real de Santo António) was supposed to begin this year, with conclusion in the fourth quarter of 2020. The first phase is the construction of new or enlarged electrical sub stations to provide the necessary power. Bidding for the major overhead line works and signalling contracts took place late in 2018, with most work planned to take place in 2019 and 2020. However, here we are in the fourth quarter of 2019 with no visible sign of any work taking place.

The latest word is that the Environmental Impact Study for the eastern section was started in July and is due for completion in February 2020. It's possible therefore that some work may begin in the Spring of next year. The Environmental Impact Study for the western section (Tunes to Lagos) was supposed to be starting in November 2019, completion due May 2020.

Meanwhile the old trains will continue to run, which technically will be illegal from 1st January. The equipment and stations do not comply with EU laws related to Persons of Restricted Mobility which come into force that day.

SEASON TICKETS ON TRAINS AND BUSES CAPPED

A nationwide initiative has come into effect to limit the cost of a monthly season ticket on trains or buses to €40. If you travel to work on a normal Monday to Friday basis, ie 5 return journeys to and from work every week, your travel costs basically become €1 each way. Commendable, but will it get people out of their cars when services are so poor in many parts of the Algarve?

LAGOS BUS STATION TICKET OFFICE HOURS

A notice at the ticket office states opening hours as 0600 to 2030hrs daily. This differs from the information on the EVA bus company website. Travellers intending to get a very early long distance service from Lagos and who do not book on line are advised to check this before turning up and perhaps finding it closed! Also, do allow 10 - 15 minutes to buy your bus ticket if doing so at the bus station. There is only one member of staff. Tickets for local buses cannot be purchased via any website.

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.

Discounts for long distance train travel!

If you book more than 8 days in advance there are some really cheap fares available on trains, eg between the Algarve stations and Lisbon. These fares can be cheaper than coaches (buses). These tickets are not refunded if you do not use them. Go to www.cp.pt for all you need to know.

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 detail of the various stations.

TOURIST PASSES FOR ALGARVE BUSES

These are available as three day versions at €30,40 and seven days for €38,00. Days must be consecutive. They can be bought at any bus station ticket office, also the Albufeira old town Bus Shop and the EVA ticket office in Largo do Dique, Portimão. They are valid on ALL buses operated by EVA or Frota Azul listed in timetables on this site. They are NOT VALID on EVA, Rede-Expressos or RENEX long distance services, 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.

BUS DELAYS

Traffic congestion and unrealistic timetables mean that many buses cannot be relied upon to run to time, especially on the longer journeys.

The 1800 bus from Lagos to Albufeira is ALWAYS at least 10 minutes late by the time it gets to Albufeira, 20 minutes delay in summer is not unusual. I regularly experience similar delays returning from Lagos or Portimão to Albufeira in the late afternoon and early evening.

On the longer routes eg Lagos - Faro and Albufeira - Lagos, delays of 10 - 15 minutes towards the end of the journey are commonplace, on any day of the week. Delays are even more likely in summer.

TIMETABLES AT BUS STATIONS ETC

Timetables are posted at most bus stations (except Faro or Loulé) but not at most bus stops. Copies of the official timetables can be downloaded from the various websites 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.

THANK YOU

This site is being visited about 500 times a month. May I thank you for the positive comments and feedback I am receiving.

DISABLED OR FIND IT HARD TO GET AROUND? DEFICIENTE? BEHINDERTE? HANDICAPÉ?

Please click here for some observations on this issue. You will have problems using the buses and trains in the Algarve. I am able-bodied by the way!

Why the site exists

I have built this site of local bus, train and ferry information here in the Algarve in response to many queries raised through various forums.

The main idea is to allow visitors and potential visitors to plan ahead by getting an understanding of the local public transport operations and the places they serve and don’t! I recommend that wherever possible you check times locally. Updates are continuous. Whenever I go somewhere, I check the information. Each timetable bears the date on which I was last able to verify it as being correct.Schedule changes are not very frequent, but do happen and often with little or no advance warning. Changes are rarely highlighted on websites etc.

I live in the Algarve and use these buses and trains as I do not drive. Not all routes and services are included. I have left out those unlikely to be of use to visitors, for example some short schooldays only runs.

I have not included full details of some of the local 'city' bus type operations. They have websites to which I can redirect. You can make enquiries at the local bus station or tourist information offices if required. Please note that tickets are NOT interchangeable between these purely urban buses and the other buses.

As much as possible has been checked on the ground eg by using the buses concerned and/or obtaining the printed timetables.

Official websites

The official website of the major local operator, EVA, can be found at www.eva-bus.com ; the other, smaller, company Frota Azul also has a website. They have 'search' functions enabling you to find which buses run between two places, but do not list buses to and from all destinations nor all the fares. The official timetables are available for download and printing. As neither site has a map of routes, it can be difficult to discover which route serves which place. There are often differences between the information on the websites and the timetables at the bus stations etc. I use the printed information.

The urban operators around the larger towns also have websites, with varying degrees of information, That for Albufeira is the worst. No timetables are published! Each site is mentioned on relevant pages, with links to them.

I would be pleased to receive any timetables not included here. If you can scan or photo them please email them to me. I can then include the data in these pages.

www.algarvebus.info An unofficial website for buses and trains in the Algarve Owned and maintained by a local resident	Questions about Albufeira? Visit the forum
Albufeira on Facebook - lots of pictures!	My own picture blog of the Algarve and more http://cubsur51.wordpress.com

www.algarvebus.info

VISITING THE ALGARVE? WANT TO PLAY LAWN BOWLS?

MODERN TWO BEDROOM APARTMENT FOR HOLIDAY RENT LONG OR SHORT STAYS IN THE VERY CENTRE OF ALBUFEIRA OLD TOWN

The Algarve region of Portugal - information on bus and train services

Contents - summary

News and updates - latest - Thursday 2nd January 2020