Bus drivers in Alicante have issued an ultimatum: An indefinite strike

The workers say that the Ministry of Mobility has “neglected and improvised” the metropolitan transport model of Alicante and hasn’t planned the service well enough.

Intercity bus drivers in Alicante have given a serious ultimatum: they will go on strike until the concessionaire and the government reach a deal. The union says that talks between the Works Council and the concessionaire, Automóviles La Alcoyana (part of the Vectalia group), have come to a halt.

Requirements for drivers

Drivers are asking for a number of urgent actions:

The committee says that a new emergency contract should be made official to fix the problems with the current one (contract CE-705), which ends in August 2026.

That this new contract covers all lines, even the airport line, to stop “self-serving fragmentation of the system.”

Better working conditions, with investments, employment security, and a real organisation of the service.

They say that the buses are old, polluting, break down all the time, and are clearly out of date.

Real dangers because the fleet is getting older

It’s not simply a problem with workers; it’s also a problem with safety. The workers say that a lot of the buses are more than 12 to 18 years old. Only five cars were able to give service on one day in the last few incidents.

The committee says that the active and passive safety systems have “serious flaws” that put both workers and passengers at risk. La Vanguardia also says that 70% of the intercity bus fleet is between 12 and 18 years old, which adds to the number of breakdowns that happen every day.

Tension at the institution

The committee also criticises the administrative management. They say that the intercity bus contract has been in place for years without a formal bidding process, and that the workers have had to rely on extensions and emergency contracts that don’t guarantee stability or long-term planning. They also say that the Regional Ministry hasn’t yet promised to renew or extend the emergency contract until 2026, which makes it hard for the personnel to plan their breaks, shifts, vacations, and public holidays.

Union sources claim that the corporation is still negotiating, but the lack of movement has been a cause for concern.

Recent history of strikes

There has been conflict before. Because of the Generalitat’s “inaction” in making the service better and the fleet getting older, the committee has already threatened to go on strike indefinitely. In addition, strikes planned for the Hogueras festival in June of this year were put off after the Generalitat agreed to improve upkeep and replace certain buses.

The committee says, however, that those pledges have not been entirely kept: failures still happen often (up to 15 times a day, they say), which makes it difficult to ensure the “safety or efficiency” of the service.

How the company reacted

La Alcoyana, the business that runs the concession, said that talks with the committee are still continuing on and that both sides want to find a deal to keep the service running. Some media outlets have heard from internal sources that they are looking at ways to make a new contract official or extend the present one with better conditions.

The committee, on the other hand, says it will only consider “serious, real, and immediate” remedies.

Effect on users

An indefinite strike by intercity bus drivers could make it impossible for thousands of people in the Alicante metropolitan area to travel every day. The lines that connect to villages like El Campello, Sant Vicent del Raspeig, and Mutxamel, as well as the airport line, are the ones that are most affected. This is what the workers asked for.

In addition, the age of the vehicle fleet is not only a safety problem, but it also makes it harder for the environment to stay healthy. A newer fleet would be safer and cleaner.