More than 180,000 passengers in Vila-seca on the compressed natural gas bus operated by Plana

• It has been three years since the Vila-seca Town Council and BusPlana introduced this more efficient and sustainable vehicle.
• Plana is the only company in Camp de Tarragona with a compressed natural gas bus.
• In three years, the number of people using the Vila-seca Bus service has multiplied by 4.
• The Free Vilacard has contributed to the increase in bus mobility in the town.
• This March sees the start of the high season, with a 55% increase in the service up to November compared to December, January and February.

This March, three years ago, the first Grup Plana bus with Compressed Natural Gas was put into service for urban routes in Vila-seca. The service, which links the three population centres of the municipality, La Plana, La Pineda and Vila-seca, has been very well received by users: during the first 10 months nearly 44,000 people travelled, and in 2023 the number of passengers has exceeded 180,000.

The Vila-seca bus is the first and only bus with Compressed Natural Gas in the whole of Camp de Tarragona. This fuel reduces emissions of air quality pollutants to almost zero: it completely eliminates sulphur emissions, reduces solid particle emissions by 96%, nitrogen oxides (NOx) by 85% and carbon monoxide and CO₂ by up to 25%.

It also helps to reduce noise pollution, as natural gas engines produce 50% less sound and vibration than diesel vehicles.

The Vilacard boosts trips

The Vila-seca Town Council launched the Vilacard in February 2022, a fact that has contributed to the success of the CNG bus service. This Vilacard is a travel card available and free for the residents of Vila-seca (you pay 5€ to get registered), and also incorporates other advantages in municipal services.

Start of high season, more services

In the high season, from now March to November, there are 90 more bus trips per week compared to the low season. In the high season, there are 252 trips per week. This increases from 26 to 36 trips a day from Monday to Sunday.

The Vila-seca urban service operated by BusPlana increases the number of trips by 55.55% in high season.