The Algarve Intermunicipal Community (AMAL) has approved an international tender for the region’s public bus services, covering the 2026-2034 period and valued at around €108 million, the organisation announced on Monday.
The decision paves the way for the selection of a new service provider at the end of March. The winning operator will be responsible for intermunicipal bus routes across the 12 municipalities that have delegated bus responsibilities to AMAL, out of the Algarve’s 16 municipalities, as well as some inter-regional connections, starting December 2026 for a period of eight years.
“This is a decisive step in improving public road transport for passengers in the Algarve and continuing our commitment to decarbonising the sector,” AMAL said in a statement.
This is AMAL’s second international tender for public bus services in the region. The proposal incorporates input from transport experts, municipal authorities, institutions, and passengers, ensuring that demographic, socioeconomic, and territorial considerations shape the new network, says the association, which brings together the mayors of the Algarve’s 16 municipalities.
The fleet will feature over 50% vehicles powered by clean energy, furthering the Algarve’s goal of “decarbonising its transport sector,” AMAL says. Service levels and routes were agreed in consultation with the municipalities, with revised schedules and additional capacity added where requested by local authorities.
Funding for the contract will come primarily from ticket revenues, with AMAL contributing €1.5 million annually via the Incentiva +TP programme (supporting public transport initiatives), while municipalities will contribute a total of about €470,000 per year.
AMAL first launched an international public transport tender in 2018. The current concession, operated by VIZUR, a subsidiary of EVA Transportes under the brand VAMUS – Transportes do Algarve, started on December 1, 2021, and will expire on November 30, 2026.
