Catalonia would need 700 more buses for all passengers to travel seated

The Department of Territory estimates that at least 700 more buses would be needed for all passengers to travel seated. This figure comes after the accident in Fogars de Montclús, which left 83 injured.

According to Ara, the Secretary of Mobility and Infrastructure, Manel Nadal, has stated that 700 buses is the minimum reinforcement that Catalonia would need to ensure all passengers are seated. He made this statement this week at an event of the Amtu, the Association of Municipalities for Mobility and Urban Transport, in response to the idea of prohibiting standing travel on intercity routes.

The debate was reignited after a bus accident involving the company Sagalés in Fogars de Montclús, in Montseny, which left 83 injured, of which around ten are in serious condition. The vehicle went off the road on a curve and fell down a 20-meter embankment. Many passengers were standing, although the investigation has not yet specified how many.

The Interior Minister, Núria Parlon, opened the door the next day to review the regulations. Nadal responded with a simple calculation: the Catalan fleet consists of around 1,600 intercity buses according to the Generalitat, and adding 700 would mean reaching about 2,300, which is an increase of 43.8%.

“700 buses and more than 1,000 drivers. How do we achieve this?” questioned Manel Nadal, who urged for “calm reflection.”

The underlying problem is twofold. Current regulations allow standing travel on certain models, like the one involved in the Fogars incident, and demand has increased in the last two years. Additionally, there has been a transfer of users from trains, whose crisis has pushed many travellers to buses. Operators claim to be “overwhelmed by demand” and admit they do not have enough vehicles or drivers to meet the reinforcements.

The Association for the Promotion of Public Transport (PTP) argues that class 2 vehicles are approved for carrying passengers standing. Its president, Carles Garcia, summarises it this way: “We would go from having people standing on buses to having them at the stops.” The employers' association Fecav agrees that any change would require a substantial increase in services.

Meanwhile, Territorio has already taken concrete measures on the line where the accident occurred. It will replace large buses, which have about 65 seats and 20 standing places, with two vehicles of fewer than 50 seats that will operate in tandem, with the same frequencies. Nadal speaks of “surgical” changes and does not rule out, in some areas, requiring seated travel or reducing speed, although he warns that everything must be done “calmly and coordinated with the entire sector.”