Palma's residents worried: cuts to bus services after fire incidents

The decision by Palma City Council to temporarily withdraw twelve EMT natural gas buses from service following several fire incidents has caused concern among residents of the Balearic capital. Many fear that the already strained public transport system will come under further pressure.

A regular bus user, who uses route 29 every day, expressed her concerns: "Those responsible need to act quickly and provide replacement buses, otherwise we will soon be without a decent means of transport." Her friend also understands the growing concern: "It was already difficult to catch a bus that wasn't overcrowded. Now it will probably be even worse."

Frustration about the state of local transport

The residents who are directly affected by the bus cuts are particularly annoyed. A regular user of route 8 describes her frustration: "Things were already slow recently. If buses are canceled now, chaos is inevitable." Her sister calls for long-term solutions: "The city urgently needs to invest in modern vehicles and better infrastructure. Palma needs a more efficient transport system."

Why the buses were taken out of service

The background to this decision is two bus fires within a week. On August 18, a bus caught fire on the ring road, and just a few days later a similar incident occurred in front of the El Corte Inglés shopping center. On both occasions, Scania articulated buses that were only put into service in 2020 were affected.

The city administration reacted immediately and withdrew the affected vehicles from service. The decision affects the airport lines A1 and A2 as well as lines 1, 3, 4 and 7, among others. The frequencies on these routes were significantly reduced, which was met with incomprehension by many passengers.

Review: Problems with bus services are nothing new

Fires in public buses are nothing new on Mallorca. Similar incidents caused a stir back in 2016, prompting the city to purchase 100 new buses. However, the current situation shows that further measures are needed to make public transport safer and more reliable.