Transporte Urbano Comarcal (abbreviated: TUC, meaning: 'Comarcal Urban Transportation System') is a regional public transportation system operating in the city of Iruña/Pamplona.
EHG/TUC is, with Bilbobus (Bilbo city), the best transportation system in Spain regarding punctuality, information reliability and vehicle occupation levels. Furthermore, the network has been given a score of 7.8 out of 10 in user satisfaction.[4] It also owns the longest electric transit bus line on the Iberian Peninsula, line 9.[5]
EHG/TUC buses are white, with yellow and green motifs and are commonly called Villavesas or Billabesak, which confuses people from outside of Navarre because they do not know what the local speakers refer to.[citation needed] The name comes from La Villavesa SA, the first transit bus company in Iruñerria, from 1920 to 1969.
Data
Ridership
This is the yearly ridership data of EHG/TUC buses:
Year
Ridership
1997
28,811,483
1998
28,760,533
1999
31,675,795
2000
33,699,308
2001
34,212,117
2002
33,961,015
2003
34,944,307
2004
33,372,871
2005
35,706,415
2006
37,354,615
2007
38,470,295
2008
38,518,647
2009
36,927,599
2010
36,591,990
2011
36,449,281
2012
34,738,115
2013
33,212,817
2014
32,711,053
2015
34,060,583
2016
35,529,472
2017
36,991,480
2018
39,007,864
2019
40,639,335
Fares
These are the available fares for EHG/TUC buses in 2019:[6]
Transport pass
Fare
Price
30 egunak (orokorra) Abono 30 días (general) 30 day pass (general)
€30
30 egunak (gaztea) Abono 30 días (joven) 30 day pass (youth)
€24
30 egunak (familia ugarientzat) Abono 30 días (familias numerosas) 30 day pass (large families)
€21
Transport card
Fare
Price
Herritar txartela (eguneko zerbitzua) Tarjeta Ciudadana (servicio diurno) Transport Card (day-time)
€0.70
Herritar txartela (gaueko zerbitzua) Tarjeta Ciudadana (servicio nocturno) Transport Card (night-time)
€1.02
Aldatzea (linea desberdinen artean) Transbordo (entre distintas líneas) Transfer (between different lines)
€0.00
(45 min.)
Special transport cards
Fare
Price
F gizarte (baztertze sozialak) Social F (excluidos sociales) F·card (social excluded)
€0.17
B gizarte (erretirodunak) Social B (jubilados) B·card (retired)
€0.33
C gizarte (familia ugarientzat) Social C (familias numerosas) C·card (large families)
€0.49
Casual
Fare
Price
Tiket arrunta Billete Sencillo Cash Fare
€1.35
Tiket arrunta (Sanferminetan) Billete Sencillo (San Fermín) Cash Fare (San Fermin)
€1.60
Aldatzea (linea desberdinen artean) Transbordo (entre distintas líneas) Transfer (between different lines)
€1.35
Service fleet
Eskualdeko Hiri Garraioa
Brand
Model
Units
Man
NL273F
5
Man
NL283F
13
Man
A22
2
Scania
N310UA
6
Scania
N270UB
11
Scania
N280UB
17
Scania
N320UB
3
Solaris
Urbino 12
5
Solaris
Urbino 18
9
Volvo
7900 Hybrid
10
Volvo
D15K240
2
Heuliez
GX437HYB
6
Iveco
Urbanway 18
5
Vectia
Veris 12 Hybrid
3
Vectia
Teris 10 Hybrid
2
Vectia
Veris 12 Electric
6
Mercedes
Citaro Hybrid
4
Mercedes
Citaro G Hybrid
8
Man
Lions City 12C
9
Man
Lions City 18C
7
Man
Lions City 19C
10
Scania
N340UA6X2/2
7
Scania
N340UB4X2/2
6
Man
Lions City 18G
6
Irizar
Ie Tram
-
Day lines
These are the 24 lines in service mainly between 06:00 and 22:00, every day of the week. However, some of them deviate slightly from these times, and others are only active at certain times. They are considered the reference lines of EHG/TUC.
Note: All of the buses reach Ardoi, but only some of them go up to Zizur Nagusia
Frequency:
Weekdays: 20 minutes (from 06:30 to 22:30)
Saturdays: 30 minutes (from 06:30 to 22:30)
Sundays and bank holidays: 30 minutes (from 06:30 to 22:30)
Frequencies apply to all stops between Pablo Sarasate and Ardoi. One out of three buses serves Zizur Nagusia on weekdays and one out of two on weekends.
Note: All of the buses reach Berriozar, but only some of them go up to Berriogoiti. The same applies to Noain and Beriain
Frequency:
Weekdays: 12 minutes (from 06:57 to 20:49) - 15 minutes (from 06:26 to 06:57 and from 20:49 to 22:27)
Saturdays: 15 minutes (from 06:30 to 22:350)
Sundays and bank holidays: 20 minutes (from 06:40 to 22:26)
Frequencies apply to all stops between Berriozar and Noain. Once an hour, a bus goes up to Berriogoiti and every 30 minutes to Beriain on weekdays and at :00 and :45 on weekends.
Note: After Olatz, the line has three branches: Ipar Gorraiz/Gorraiz Norte, Hegoa Gorraiz/Gorraiz Sur and Itaroa Urbanizazioa/Urbanización Itaroa
Frequency:
Weekdays: 20 minutes (from 06:33 to 22:33)
Saturdays: 30 minutes (from 06:45 to 22:20)
Sundays and bank holidays: 30 minutes (from 06:45 to 22:20)
Frequencies apply to all stops between Bianako Printzea and Olatz. One out of three buses services each branch on weekdays, and one out of two on weekends. Ipar and Hegoa branches merge on weekends.
Note: On weekdays, the line services all the stops between Kordobila and Olloki
Frequency:
Weekdays: 60 minutes (from 06:25 to 22:25)
Saturdays: 30 minutes + 60 minutes (from 07:00 to 22:00)
Sundays and bank holidays: 30 minutes + 60 minutes (from 07:00 to 22:00)
Frequencies apply to all stops on weekdays and between Bianako Printzea and Itaroa on weekends (there is a bus every 60 minutes, then in 30 minutes, then again in 60 minutes....). The other stop's frequency is 90 minutes.
The Iruñetarako Tranbia Proiektua (Pamplona tram project) was a project run between 2005 and 2008, involving the creation of up to three tram lines in the city of Iruña/Pamplona.[7]
The Government of Navarre concluded, after studying different possibilities, that implementing this project would have a very good impact on the city. However, the government estimated the cost at more than 700 million euros, and finally discarded the project.[8]
After the Pamplona Tram Project, two options were suggested: create bus rapid transit (BRT) system or a transit bus optimized system. Iruñerriko Mankomunitatea decided to develop the first idea, combining it with the Pamplona Tram Project concept, where more lines can be created (up to five in the first phase) and the other buses can use the same reserved platform.[9]
The new system will be accompanied by a total change of the current bus lines and it will be operating before 2024.
BRT (in Spanish, BTR) lines will run 98% of their route on a separate, independent platform. Buses, 33 estimated in the first phase, will be 100% electric, but since there will be no catenary, it will be stored in batteries that will be recharged after each trip.[10]
Serviced zones: Iruña/Pamplona, Berriozar and Kordobila/Cordovilla
Basic data:
Coverage: 56,894 people
Annual commercial distance: 742,731 km
Annual service time: 41,282 hours
Annual estimated ridership: 4,282,081 rides
Travellers per distance: 5.8 travellers/km
Length of vehicle: 18 m
Travellers per expedition: 32.6 travellers
In folklore
The Encierro de la Villavesa ("running of the town bus") started in Pamplona on 15 July 1984 when, after the end of the Sanfermines festival and its associated running of the bulls, youths would run before the earliest urban bus entering the traditional encierro course.
Starting in 1990, the Pamplona bus company detoured the early bus to defuse the risk.
Currently, the youths run before a cyclist in a yellow jersey as an homage to the Navarrese cycling champion Miguel Induráin.[11]