Ibiza’s public transport system has reached another historic high after the island’s buses carried 1,251,534 passengers in August 2026.

The figure is the highest monthly total ever recorded on Ibiza and represents a 40.2% increase compared with August 2025.

It also surpasses the previous monthly record of 1,218,060 passengers set only one month earlier in July.

The latest figures mean the island’s bus network has now recorded two consecutive monthly records and continues to show a sharp increase in demand following the launch of its new network in April.

The increase has accelerated every month

Perhaps the most striking part of the figures is the pace of growth.

Year-on-year passenger growth stood at 2.4% in April, before increasing to 15.3% in May, 27.3% in June, 36.5% in July and finally 40.2% in August.

The trend suggests that the new network did not simply produce a one-off summer spike. Passenger numbers have increased progressively throughout the first five months of operation.

The progression also coincides with increases in frequencies, connections and operating hours during the early months of the new network.

Nearly five million journeys since April

Between April and August, Ibiza’s public buses recorded 4,958,831 journeys.

That compares with 3,922,074 during the same period in 2025, representing an additional 1,036,757 journeys and an overall increase of 26.4%.

According to the figures released by the Consell, the new network has been carrying an average of 6,776 additional passengers per day compared with the equivalent period last year.

That makes the accumulated figure particularly important because it shows the increase is not dependent solely on August.

August added almost 360,000 passengers compared with last year

The year-on-year difference in August was particularly substantial.

The 1,251,534 passengers recorded during the month represented 358,919 more travellers than in August 2025.

Average daily usage also increased significantly, from 28,794 passengers per day in August 2025 to 40,372 this August.

That means the network carried almost 11,600 additional passengers each day compared with the same month last year.

The new network launched in April

The current figures come during the first full summer under Ibiza’s new bus network, which began operating on April 1, 2026.

The redesigned network was introduced with changes to routes, connections and service levels, although its launch was initially accompanied by complaints about delays, route changes and information gaps.

The system has subsequently undergone adjustments and additional service has been introduced during the season.

That evolution is important when looking at the passenger figures because the network has not remained static since its launch.

More buses, more kilometres and more service hours

The Consell says the new network now offers 52.6% more departures than in 2019.

It also represents a 60.9% increase in kilometres travelled and 74.2% more hours of service compared with the 2019 network.

The administration attributes part of the increase in passengers to this additional capacity, arguing that more frequent services and better connections are making public transport a more realistic alternative for residents and visitors.

May brought a major increase in frequency

One of the biggest early changes came in May, when the Consell announced an increase of more than 53% in frequencies compared with April.

The Ibiza-Sant Antoni and Ibiza-Santa Eulària corridors were among those strengthened, with the T1 service increasing from 65 to 130 daily departures.

The acceleration in passenger growth followed these improvements, with year-on-year increases rising sharply from May onwards.

The airport is a major part of the network’s growth

Airport services have also played an important role in the increase.

Between April and July, the airport routes carried around 750,000 passengers, approximately one in five journeys across the whole network.

Those connections were around 29% higher than comparable airport services in 2025.

The figures underline the importance of airport transport to Ibiza’s wider public mobility system, particularly during the tourist season.

Beach connections are seeing some of the biggest increases

Services connecting the island with several of its most popular beaches have experienced particularly strong growth.

Between May and July, passenger numbers on selected beach routes rose from 60,472 to 119,977.

Cala Salada recorded a 144% increase, while connections to Ses Salines rose by 70%. The Cala d’Hort and western corridor increased by 73%.

These figures predate the August record but indicate where some of the strongest additional demand has been concentrated during the summer.

The eclipse provided an extraordinary test

The August 12 total solar eclipse created an unusual challenge for the island’s transport system.

Public buses carried 42,920 passengers that day, one of the highest daily totals communicated during the summer.

The exceptional demand demonstrated how quickly public transport can come under pressure when a major event creates simultaneous movement between different parts of Ibiza.

It also highlighted the importance of capacity planning even when overall passenger numbers are rising.

The rise is not only about visitors

The Consell has also pointed to the distribution between travel passes and single tickets as evidence that the increase may not be driven exclusively by tourists.

Up to June, travel passes accounted for 62.16% of journeys, while single tickets represented 37.84%.

The figures suggest that residents as well as visitors are making substantial use of the network, although the passenger data alone cannot determine exactly who is travelling on each journey.

More passengers could reduce pressure on private cars

The Consell has linked the growth in bus use to its wider strategy for reducing dependence on private vehicles.

Using an average occupancy of 1.5 people per car, the administration calculates that the almost 11,600 additional bus passengers per day in August correspond to the capacity of roughly 7,700 car journeys.

For the April-August period, it estimates that the average daily increase of 6,776 bus passengers corresponds to around 4,500 car journeys.

The Consell stresses that these figures are a way of illustrating capacity rather than proof that every additional bus trip directly replaced a car trip.

Vehicle movements through Ibiza port have also fallen

The wider mobility picture provides another relevant indicator.

Between May and July, vehicle movements through the port stood at 129,434, which was 4.8% lower than in the same period of 2025 and 13.7% below 2024 levels.

The Consell presents the expansion of public transport alongside vehicle restrictions as part of the same strategy to manage mobility on the island.

The relationship between the two trends is complex, however, and the available figures do not prove that the bus increase alone caused the reduction in vehicle movements.

The network is still being adjusted

Despite the record passenger numbers, the new bus system is not considered a finished product.

The administration says technical teams are reviewing routes and individual departures to determine which services should be maintained, strengthened or adapted once the island enters the quieter winter period.

Changes have already been introduced during the summer in response to local needs, including adjustments to services around Can Misses and Cas Serres.

That means the next major test will come when the tourist season winds down.

Winter will reveal how much of the growth remains

August is an exceptional month for Ibiza, with enormous seasonal demand from residents and visitors.

The more important long-term question will be whether a significant portion of the increase remains during autumn and winter.

The Consell says the data collected during the summer will be used to shape the winter network, with services potentially being adjusted according to real demand.

That could determine whether the 2026 figures represent simply a stronger summer or a more permanent shift in mobility habits.

A network under pressure, but attracting more users

The record figures should not obscure the difficulties experienced during the network’s launch.

The new system began amid criticism over delays, route changes and information problems, while periods of exceptional demand have continued to create pressure at major transport hubs.

However, the passenger figures show that large numbers of people are continuing to use the system despite those challenges.

The question for Ibiza is now how to convert rising demand into a network that remains reliable as well as busy.

What the August record means for Ibiza

The latest figures provide one of the clearest indications yet that public transport is becoming a more important part of mobility on the island.

In August alone, more than 1.25 million journeys were recorded.

Across the first five months of the new network, almost five million journeys were made, 26.4% more than during the same period in 2025.

Growth has accelerated every month, while airport, beach and major inter-town connections have all recorded significant increases.

Ibiza’s transport story is changing

The island’s bus network is now operating at a scale significantly above previous years, both in passenger numbers and service provision.

Whether that translates into a lasting reduction in private-car dependence remains to be seen, but the latest figures demonstrate that there is strong demand for public transport when frequency and connectivity are increased.

With another record month already behind it, Ibiza now faces a different challenge: ensuring that the network can maintain this momentum while becoming more dependable through the winter.

For now, one figure tells the story better than any other.

1,251,534 passengers in August. A new record for Ibiza.