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Alicante's Ayuntamiento is taking practical steps to make night buses safer, particularly for women and young people. Instead of creating new late-night routes, they'll add more intermediate stops to current lines, cutting the distance passengers need to walk home after dark. Urban Mobility Councillor Carlos de Juan announced this during January's full council meeting, saying technicians are already working on the best new locations.

 

The decision came during a heated debate over a proposal from Esquerra Unida Podem for a dedicated night bus network. That idea was voted down by the Popular Party and Vox. De Juan explained "neither the demand nor the conditions of the contract" with the current operator allow for entirely new routes right now.

 

Councillors from Esquerra Unida Podem, led by Manolo Copé, also pushed for on-demand stops where passengers, especially women, could ask drivers to pull over nearer their homes. De Juan rejected this too, citing two issues. "Internal regulations of Alicante Transport prohibit talking to the driver during the journey," he said. He added that drivers could face liability for any incidents after passengers get off at unscheduled spots.

 

While those bigger changes won't happen immediately, De Juan stressed the focus remains on real improvements. The extra stops aim to "enhance night-time safety, especially for women and girls," without disrupting the existing service model or contract terms. New stop locations will be publicised before going live.

 

It's a sensible, targeted response to genuine safety concerns many women raise about walking alone at night. By working within current resources, Alicante shows it's listening while keeping things manageable for operators and drivers. For residents relying on late buses, those shorter walks home could make a real difference.

 

Image: Ayuntamiento de Alicante