Green PT Line
Funchal is introducing a low-emission bus line that will serve a major tourist and residential area that has been heavily affected by congestion.
Implementing sustainable mobility
Funchal wants to provide a high-quality public transport service with which users will be highly satisfied. As part of this endeavour, the city will introduce a Green Line that is serviced by low-emission buses. The line will have a high frequency and serve an important tourist and residential area.
The main objectives of the measure are to:
>> Promote public transport use;
>> Provide high environmental, safety and accessibility standards; and
>> Reduce private car traffic in the target area.
The bus line will demonstrate the effects of a high-quality public transport service in a touristic area and provide a national and European model that can serve as an example elsewhere. The area that the line will serve is a tourist district where most hotels are concentrated. Congestion rates in the city have been highest there. A quick and high-quality service for this area is paramount. The Green Line is integrated in the city’s wider efforts to provide better pedestrian, cycling and bus access to the key tourist parts of the city. The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) supports this measure as an essential step for regional sustainable development.
How is the measure progressing
Funchal has been cooperating with the public transport operator Horários do Funchal on the development and implementation of the Green Line. The public transport operator is in charge of the bus service, while the municipality is responsible for street design, traffic management and the network layout of bus stops.
The buses were given a new and fresh image and will soon be equipped with an audio-video system that will provide information for tourists and citizens. The public transport operator is also about to install three electronic street kiosks along the route to help pedestrians find their way.
The public transport operator has developed a “tourist kit” for hotel managers in the target area. The kit has become a European-wide case study for scholars and practitioners to learn how sustainable transport can be used as a marketing element for tourist destinations, and how to transfer this experience to different local contexts.
What are the expected results of the measure
Funchal expects that the new bus line will result in:
>> A 5 percent increase of public transport passengers in the target area;
>> A 2 percent reduction in CO₂ emissions in the target area;
>> An improvement of at least 2 percent in the annual data on air quality;
>> Cooperation with at least 20 percent of the hotels in the area;
>> High levels of satisfaction with the service among tourists and citizens are to increase by 20 percent;
>> Improved traffic circulation in the hotel area and the city centre with a 5 percent reduction in the congestion rate;
>> An increase in the speed of public transport by at least 5 percent in the target area; and
>> Better social inclusion of elderly people and people with limited mobility capacity.
Contact: André Freitas
