The metro is thus leaving behind the “havoc” caused by the pandemic, as emphasized on Wednesday by the director of Metro Bilbao, Eneko Arruabarrena, when he took stock of the past year.
Metro Bilbao has registered a new annual record with 92.3 million trips in 2023. This represents an increase of almost 1% compared to the previous historical record that took place in 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic. The metro thus leaves behind the “havoc” caused by the pandemic, as emphasized on Wednesday by the director of Metro Bilbao, Eneko Arruabarrenawhen preparing the balance sheet for the past year.
As for the influence of 50% discounts Arruabarrena estimates that the increase in the number of travelers resulting from these bonuses in the price of tickets applied in 2023 will be between 6 and 7% (about 6 million trips). According to data from 2023, one in two people who travel by public transport in Bizkaia do so by metro, Arruabarrena points out.
Concerning the hours of use, the largest increase last year occurred in the time slot between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m., a fact that, according to Arruabarrena, supports the strengthening of the frequency implemented this year in that time slot. Arruabarrena has also indicated that they are ‘concerned’ about the incidents that sometimes occur and that make users ‘happy’, and therefore they are currently working on taking measures to improve the information that reaches users when there are problems.
The most commonly used ticket remains the ticket Credittrans (58%)followed at a great distance from Gizatrans (12%) while the series of temporary titles represents 26%. Arruabarrena has indicated that with the 50% discounts, the metro will no longer generate 28 million euros in 2023, which should have been contributed by the institutions.
The director of the metro has emphasized on the ecological actions carried out last year, with energy savings of 2.2 gigawatts/hour thanks to the systems built into this means of transport, which corresponds to the annual energy consumption of 747 homes. Metro users, for their part, rated the quality of service and cleanliness of the stations with a “remarkably high” rating, an 8 out of 10, with an 8.5.
Source: EITB
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
