Ibiza's new bus network has closed its first high season with almost six million passenger journeys recorded between April and September, marking a significant increase in public transport use compared with the same period last year.

The network registered 5,957,216 passenger journeys during the six-month period, an increase of 1,219,748 journeys, or 25.8%, compared with April to September 2025.

The figures cover the first high season since the new bus concession began operating on April 1, 2026, with an expanded service designed to provide more routes, frequencies and connections across the island.

Nearly Six Million Journeys Between April and September

The growth was recorded throughout the season.

June was the first month in which the network exceeded one million passengers. July then established another monthly record, followed by an even higher figure in August.

August recorded 1,251,534 passengers, representing a 40.2% increase compared with August 2025.

September, when the island was already moving beyond the peak summer period, recorded a provisional 998,385 passengers.

Overall, the increase since April represents approximately 6,665 additional passenger journeys per day compared with the same period in 2025.

A Bigger Role for Public Transport

The Consell d'Eivissa has linked the increase to the expanded supply offered by the new network.

The service now includes more routes and frequencies, additional airport connections, night services and routes serving beaches and the island's main population centres.

The Consell has also placed the bus network within its broader mobility strategy, alongside the regulation of vehicle entry and circulation during the tourist season.

Mariano Juan, first vice-president and councillor for Mobility at the Consell d'Eivissa, said the figures demonstrate the response from users to the increased public transport offer.

He also described public transport as an important tool for managing mobility flows on an island experiencing continued population and visitor pressure.

The Increase Cannot Be Directly Equated With Fewer Cars

The Consell has calculated that the additional passenger journeys represent mobility capacity equivalent to approximately 4,440 daily car journeys, based on an assumed average vehicle occupancy of 1.5 people.

However, the institution has specifically clarified that this does not mean every additional bus journey directly replaced a private-car journey.

The comparison is intended to illustrate the scale of mobility being absorbed by public transport rather than provide a direct measurement of cars removed from Ibiza's roads.

This distinction is important when assessing the impact of the new network.

The passenger figures demonstrate increased bus use, but they do not by themselves establish how many journeys would otherwise have been made by private vehicle.

Almost Six in Ten Early-Season Journeys Used Frequent-User Passes

The available passenger data also provides information about how the network was being used.

Between April and July, 2,177,782 journeys were made using a frequent-user card or pass.

That represented 58.75% of all journeys during those four months.

A further 1,529,333 journeys, or 41.25%, were made using single tickets.

The figures indicate that a substantial share of the journeys during the period was made using frequent-user travel products.

However, they do not establish that all users of those cards were residents. The Consell has linked the figures to the island's growing year-round population, but the passenger data itself does not identify every frequent-user journey as a resident journey.

August Sets a New Record

August was the strongest month of the first season under the new concession.

The network carried 1,251,534 passengers, 358,919 more than in August 2025.

The increase of 40.2% was the largest monthly year-on-year growth recorded during the season.

The figure followed another record in July, when the network also passed the one-million-passenger mark.

September then finished with almost one million journeys despite the gradual decline in visitor numbers following the peak summer period.

Winter Service Is Now Being Reviewed

With the high season complete, the Consell is turning its attention to the winter timetable.

One of the features of the new concession is the ability to adjust the number of services, frequencies and schedules according to actual demand.

The institution says it will analyse how the different routes have performed before deciding which services should be maintained or reinforced during the winter.

The final timetable for the reinforced winter services has not yet been announced.

The Consell says the details will be communicated before the changes come into effect.

A New Scale for Ibiza's Bus Network

The first high season of the new concession has therefore produced a substantial increase in bus use.

Almost six million journeys were recorded between April and September, with passenger numbers rising by 25.8% year on year.

The August record of more than 1.25 million passengers and the continued strength of September show that demand remained high beyond the traditional peak of the summer season.

For Ibiza, the next test will be maintaining an appropriate level of service once the main tourist season has ended.

The Consell is now assessing where additional winter capacity is needed, with the final reinforced schedules still to be announced.