Santa Cruz Carnival Unveils Enhanced Transport System

This year, the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnival, known as one of the world's most popular festivals, will introduce a brand new public transport system. Transportes Interurbanos de Tenerife (Titsa) announced the changes, which are designed to help thousands of visitors get around safely during the busiest days. The goal is to encourage people to use public transport instead of their cars, especially when so many people are expected.

From February 13 to 21, Titsa, which is part of the Tenerife Island Council, will greatly boost its services. They're adding 4,200 extra journeys and more than 300,000 additional seats. This expanded service will cover around twenty routes, including both long-distance (intercity) and local (urban) lines. These will link the capital city with the north and south of the island, as well as different areas within the municipality.

Titsa's plan covers the busiest nights and major daytime events like the Daytime Carnival, the Coso parade, and the Burial of the Sardine. On the busiest early mornings, lines 014 and 015, which connect Santa Cruz de Tenerife with San Cristóbal de La Laguna, will run continuously. Night services to the north will be improved with lines 102, 104, and 108. For the south, lines 111 and 711 will be boosted, serving places like Costa Adeje. There will also be better connections to the Güímar Valley and other important areas.

Within the city, routes serving areas like Ofra, La Gallega, Añaza, Taco, Barrio de la Salud, and Santa María del Mar will have more frequent buses to handle the demand. For daytime celebrations and the Coso parade, bus schedules will be adjusted to run like a normal weekday on many lines, with additional trips on the busiest routes. Specifically, on Sunday, February 15, and Saturday, February 21, both long-distance and local lines will run more often. On Tuesday, February 17, the day of the Coso parade, a weekday schedule will be used (but without school services), and buses will run more frequently on the main routes to the capital. Some routes, like line 104, will change their usual path to avoid the La Laguna Interchange during the Daytime Carnival.

The special transport system will finish on Wednesday, February 18, which is when the Burial of the Sardine takes place. On this day, lines 014 and 015 will have extra services based on demand, and more journeys will be added to several long-distance and local lines to help people get home.

To support these transport services, Titsa will also put a special security system in place at the Santa Cruz and La Laguna bus stations (Interchanges). This will be done with police and emergency services to ensure people can board buses smoothly and safely. Additionally, the car parks at both stations will stay open 24 hours during the main Carnival nights. The Santa Cruz station has 1,421 parking spots, and La Laguna has 206, offering an option for those who want to park their car and continue their journey by bus.

This big effort shows Titsa's dedication to making the Carnival safer, more environmentally friendly, and easier to access. It aims to encourage both locals and visitors to use public transport during one of the most important festivals in the Canary Islands.