Sea transport, high-speed services, and long-distance buses have become Spaniards’ preferred means of travel this summer, according to data released by the National Institute of Statistics INE. Public transport carried more than 322.5 million passengers in Spain during last July, up about 22.8 percent from the same month in 2021.
The summer holidays pushed a larger share of travelers to rely on public transport for their trips. Many people still opt for private travel, but the appeal of public transport grows thanks to its speed and flexibility.
Therefore, last July saw over 322.5 million Spaniards using public transport for summer travel, a rise of nearly 23 percent compared with the previous year.
Urban transport rose 17.9 percent year over year, while intercity travel increased by 25.2 percent. Maritime intercity connections grew by 53.6 percent.
Sea, national air, and bus transport are on the rise
Intercity transport exceeded 102.2 million passengers last July, marking a 25.2 percent increase from July of the prior year.
By transport type, sea travel surged by 53.6 percent, air travel by 31.2 percent, with 46.2 percent on the mainland and 21 percent between islands, bus travel up 25.4 percent, and rail up 23.5 percent.
Cercanías services rose 22.3 percent, bus and rail transport grew by 21.3 percent. Mid-distance travel increased 31.9 percent for bus and 39.8 percent for rail.
Long-distance travel showed the strongest momentum, with a 50.2 percent rise in bus travel and 40.3 percent in rail. Within rail, high-speed services grew by 45 percent.
Urban transportation up 18 percent
In urban transport, Spain welcomed more than 196.5 million travelers last July, up 17.9 percent from July 2021.
Metro travel rose 22.9 percent year on year, with the Valencia metro recording a 42.3 percent increase and the Bilbao metro an 8.6 percent rise.
Among provinces with metro networks, Istanbul reported the sharpest gains in metro travel, while Palma posted a 29.9 percent increase and Bilbao at least 4.2 percent.
Bus transport in urban areas grew 14.5 percent in July versus July 2021. All autonomous communities recorded annual increases, led by Catalonia with 21.3 percent, Comunitat Valenciana with 20.3 percent, and the Principality of Asturias with 15.7 percent.
Aragón showed a 5.1 percent rise, followed by Comunidad de Madrid with 8.3 percent and Extremadura with 8.7 percent, as the smaller gains among major regions.
Private and on-demand travel
The private and on-demand segment rose 65.8 percent year over year, ending the mobility shift seen during the period with more than 23.7 million users in July.
Private transport passengers increased by 3.8 percent, surpassing 7.5 million users. Within this group, trips for school purposes rose 3.2 percent and work-related travel by 3.9 percent.
On-demand transport surged 130.5 percent compared with July 2021, exceeding 16.1 million passengers.