If you ever thought buses on La Palma are dusty charabancs that clatter along bumpy roads and only ever turn up with a large helping of good luck ... think again.
Here on La Palma, our buses are every bit as a beautiful as the scenery. Well beautiful might be over-stating it but they are certainly clean, well-maintained and above all else, extremely reliable. Forget the mañana idea, when it comes to buses on La Palma they don't work like that - they work more like clockwork. In fact, you might want to be at the bus stop a few minutes early!
Background to the bus information
At the start of 2019, a few things changed about the bus timetable namely, the web address and layout plus a few bus times and bus numbers. In essence though, bus times and routes are mainly the same as before but now there is a lot more detail of times and with helpful maps and visual routes.
However, now the bus information has increased from 2 pages to 22 pages, it takes a little more understanding. Stick with it!
Once you've grasped how it works, it's something of a light-bulb moment :)
How to use the Bus Timetable
Start by finding out which bus number you need for your particular journey and then you don't have to scroll through all the pages.
This is the page that will give you that information: 'Coger La Guagua' (Catch the bus - guagua being Canarian for bus). Oh, I forgot to mention this is also a crash course in Spanish/Canarian.
From that page, you can search for your bus line (busca tu línea) by inserting your origen and destino (start and end point) or even the number of your linea (bus line) should you know it.
Or you can scroll down to find your bus number which then links to Más Detalles (your Spanish is getting better) which takes you to the relevant page for your journey.
Or, if you have a penchant for scrolling, you can go to the bus lines and times where each page has its own very useful overview map of La Palma plus a micro-map of the specific area.
!! Beware of different times on the timetable for Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays !!
Bus Prices
The price of bus tickets is very simple with just 3 prices according to distance as follows:
1.50€ 0 – 10 km
2.40€ 10 – 20 km
2.60€ 20km +
That is except for those with a 'Bono' card (prepaid card) which is for residents. Alternatively, a Bono card can be purchased with pre-paid credit, but there is no discount, it just saves you and the bus driver looking for change.
Bus Station Locations and Contact Details
Wondering where the bus stations are on La Palma – here’s the information!
There are two bus stations on La Palma, one in Santa Cruz and one in Los Llanos.
In Santa Cruz the terminus is opposite the harbour, along where you'll find Los Indianos bar/restaurant. Los Indianos, which is a fascinating building in itself, doubles a little bit as a place to shelter or use the facilities so do take a peek inside!
The bus stops are in a long row next to the pavement with all bus stops clearly marked.
There is a taxi stand on the opposite side of the roundabout.
Address: Avenida Los Indianos 14, Santa Cruz de La Palma
In Los Llanos, the terminus is as you'd expect a terminus to be with the buses waiting within the bus station, plus a waiting room, toilets, office and taxi stand which is located the other side of the building.
Address: Calle Ramón Pol, Los Llanos de Aridane
Tlf: 922 411 924 / 922 460 241
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