Ibiza's public bus network has reached another record, carrying 1,251,534 passengers during August 2026, the highest monthly figure ever recorded on the island.

The result represents a 40.2% increase compared with August 2025, with 358,919 more passenger journeys in a single month. It also means the new network, introduced on April 1, has now delivered two consecutive monthly records after July reached 1,218,060 passengers.

The figures have been presented by the Consell de Ibiza as evidence that the expanded network is changing how both residents and visitors move around the island, although the summer has also exposed pressure points and overcrowding on some of the busiest routes.

August Becomes the Busiest Month Ever

The latest figures show just how quickly bus use has accelerated during the first months of the new network.

August recorded 1,251,534 passengers, compared with 1,218,060 in July.

That represents an additional 33,474 passenger journeys in one month and an increase of approximately 2.7% over the previous record.

Compared with August 2025, however, the difference is much larger. The network carried 358,919 additional passengers, equivalent to growth of 40.2%.

The average number of passengers per day rose from 28,794 last August to 40,372 this year.

That means the network was carrying almost 11,600 more passengers every day than it did during the same month last year.

Growth Has Accelerated Every Month

The most striking element of the figures is the progression since the new network began.

Year-on-year growth stood at just 2.4% in April.

It then increased to 15.3% in May, 27.3% in June, 36.5% in July and finally 40.2% in August.

The pattern shows a steadily widening difference from the previous year's passenger numbers rather than a single isolated spike.

Between April and August, Ibiza recorded 4,958,831 passenger journeys, compared with 3,922,074 during the same period in 2025.

That represents 1,036,757 additional journeys and an accumulated increase of 26.4%.

The New Network Started Amid Problems

The record figures come after a difficult launch for the island's redesigned bus network.

The new system began operating on April 1 and initially attracted criticism over route changes, delays, information problems and drivers becoming familiar with the revised network.

The operating company, Alsa, apologised for some of the initial problems while the Consell introduced adjustments to routes, stops and frequencies.

The network has subsequently been modified as authorities have responded to demand and complaints.

The current passenger figures therefore reflect a system that has continued evolving since its launch rather than a network operating in exactly the same form it did in April.

Frequencies Were Increased During the Spring

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

Routes connecting Ibiza Town with Sant Antoni and Santa Eulària were among those strengthened.

The T1 between Ibiza and Sant Antoni, for example, increased from 65 to 130 daily services.

The timing is significant because the biggest increases in passenger numbers began appearing after the additional capacity was introduced.

The Consell attributes much of the growth to the combination of more departures, stronger connections and longer operating hours.

More Passengers Are Using Public Transport

The island government says the figures suggest that the growth is not exclusively driven by tourists.

Data available through June showed that travel using public-transport passes accounted for 62.16% of journeys, while single tickets represented 37.84%.

The Consell has interpreted that distribution as evidence that residents and other regular users are also contributing significantly to the increase.

The figures do not identify the exact proportion of residents and visitors within either category, but they provide an indication of how frequently the different fare products are being used.

Airport Connections Continue to Grow

Airport routes have become an important component of the increased demand.

Between April and July, airport services carried close to 750,000 passengers, representing approximately one in five journeys across the network.

Those connections recorded growth of around 29% compared with the corresponding period in 2025.

The airport network is particularly significant because it serves both tourists arriving on the island and residents and workers travelling to and from Ibiza Airport.

The increase therefore reflects several different types of demand rather than a single user group.

Beach Routes Nearly Doubled in Some Cases

The biggest increases have also been seen on some of the island's most popular beach routes.

Between May and July, selected connections serving Cala Salada, Benirràs, Ses Salines and the Cala d'Hort corridor carried 119,977 passengers, compared with 60,472 during the same period a year earlier.

That represents an increase of almost 98% across the routes analysed.

Cala Salada recorded a 144% increase, while Ses Salines grew by 70% and the Cala d'Hort and western corridor by 73%.

The figures show how strongly the expanded public transport network is being used to reach some of Ibiza's most heavily visited coastal destinations.

The Eclipse Provided a Major Test

The network also faced an exceptional demand test on August 12, when thousands of people travelled towards the western coast to watch the total solar eclipse.

Public transport carried 42,920 passengers that day, making it one of the strongest daily figures reported during the summer.

The Consell increased frequencies on several key routes, including the T1 between Ibiza and Sant Antoni.

However, long queues were still reported at the CETIS bus station in Ibiza Town as passengers attempted to travel towards the western observation areas.

The experience demonstrated both the additional capacity of the new network and the difficulty of absorbing exceptionally concentrated demand during major events.

More Buses Could Mean Fewer Cars

The Consell has attempted to put the growth into perspective by comparing passenger capacity with private-car journeys.

Using an average car occupancy of 1.5 people, the additional 6,776 passengers carried per day between April and August would be equivalent to approximately 4,500 car journeys each day.

During August alone, the almost 11,600 additional passengers per day would correspond to the carrying capacity of around 7,700 car journeys.

The Consell stresses that this calculation does not mean every additional bus passenger replaced a car journey. It is instead intended to illustrate the additional mobility capacity being provided by public transport.

Vehicle Movements Through Ibiza Port Have Fallen

The public transport figures are also being linked by the Consell to its broader mobility strategy.

Between May and July, vehicle movements through the port amounted to 129,434, a decrease of 4.8% compared with the same period in 2025.

Compared with 2024, before the current vehicle restrictions were introduced, the decline was 13.7%.

The island government argues that restrictions on private vehicles and improvements to public transport should be viewed as complementary policies designed to reduce dependence on private cars.

The two trends do not, however, establish a direct one-to-one relationship between a decrease in port traffic and an increase in bus use.

The Network Now Offers Significantly More Service

Compared with 2019, the current network provides substantially more service.

According to Consell figures, there are now 52.6% more bus departures, 60.9% more kilometres travelled and 74.2% more operating hours.

Those increases form the infrastructure behind the higher passenger numbers.

The larger supply of services has also allowed the network to provide more connections to beaches, the airport and different municipalities.

The challenge now is ensuring that the additional supply remains sustainable outside the peak summer period.

The Winter Network Will Be the Next Test

The end of the peak summer period will provide a different test for the system.

During August, the island's population and visitor numbers generated exceptionally high demand.

Winter brings a different travel pattern, with daily journeys more closely linked to residents, workers, school schedules and regular commuting.

The Consell says its technical teams are reviewing the network line by line and service by service to determine which routes and frequencies should be maintained, increased or adjusted during the low season.

The administration has described the network as flexible rather than fixed, meaning the summer data will be used to shape the winter timetable.

Some Areas Are Already Asking for More Service

The coming winter review is also taking place amid complaints from some northern areas of Ibiza.

Residents have called for longer operating hours and schedules that better reflect working patterns, particularly for people commuting towards Ibiza Town.

More than 700 signatures had reportedly been collected by early September calling for changes to the winter timetable.

That highlights a central question for the new network: whether routes designed to handle intense summer demand can also provide a useful year-round service for residents.

Cas Serres Network Was Already Adjusted

The Consell has also shown that it is willing to change routes when problems become apparent.

One example is the Ue3 service serving Cas Serres, which was modified in August after complaints about connectivity with Can Misses and access towards the Reina Sofía residence.

The changes demonstrate that the network is still being refined several months after its launch.

The record passenger numbers therefore do not represent the conclusion of the redesign. They are part of a continuing process of adjustment based on usage patterns and feedback.

A Shift in How Ibiza Moves

Mariano Juan, the Consell's first vice-president and councillor for Territory, Mobility and Road Infrastructure, has described the results as evidence that Ibiza is experiencing a sustained change in travel behaviour.

The administration's objective has been to make public transport a realistic alternative to private cars by increasing frequency and connectivity.

The latest figures suggest that the expanded network is attracting substantially more passengers.

However, the ultimate success of the strategy will depend on whether that growth remains strong after the summer and whether residents continue using the network when tourist demand declines.

More Passengers Also Mean More Pressure

Record passenger numbers are positive from a public transport perspective, but they can also create new operational challenges.

The queues during the August 12 eclipse illustrated what can happen when demand becomes concentrated within a short period.

Similarly, beach routes can become heavily loaded during the busiest hours of the summer.

A successful network therefore needs not only more annual passengers, but also enough vehicles, drivers and operational flexibility to manage the peaks.

The challenge is particularly important on an island where demand can change dramatically between seasons and even from one day to the next.

Ibiza's Public Transport Enters a New Phase

The figures from April through August show a clear trend.

Passenger numbers increased from 2.4% year-on-year growth in April to 40.2% in August, while the five-month total reached almost five million journeys.

At the same time, the network now offers substantially more service than it did in 2019, with more departures, kilometres and operating hours.

The question now changes from whether the new network can attract passengers to whether it can maintain those gains while adapting to different seasonal patterns.

The Next Chapter Will Be Winter

August's 1,251,534 passengers represent a new monthly record for Ibiza's buses, but the real test will come after the summer peak.

The Consell must now decide how much of the expanded network can be maintained when tourist demand falls and whether some routes need to be redesigned around the daily needs of residents.

The data already show substantial demand for airport and beach connections, while residents in some parts of the island are asking for better winter services.

For Ibiza, the new bus network has clearly moved beyond its difficult launch period and into a phase of record use.

The next challenge is to turn those summer records into a dependable year-round public transport system, one capable of carrying residents and visitors efficiently while reducing some of the island's reliance on private cars.