The Algarve has roughly 103,000 more insured light vehicles on its roads than it did nine years ago, according to a report issued alongside a new regional mobility plan presented in Faro this week. The number of insured cars and vans rose 36%, from 288,000 in 2016 to 391,000 in 2025.
The consultancy firm TIS presented these figures at the first regional public session on the Algarve Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (PMUS Algarve 2.0), staged on 13 October by the Algarve Intermunicipal Community (AMAL) in Areal Gordo.
Drawn up by AMAL, the new plan aims to set the course for mobility that is more sustainable, accessible, and efficient, ultimately better suited to people who live, work, or holiday in the region. AMAL says it will line up with national and European goals on decarbonisation and quality of life. TIS is providing technical support, working with a team of experts.
The consultancy firm names car dependence as one of the biggest problems addressed by the plan. Alternatives are not always competitive on journeys between municipalities or into the interior, while low population density and scattered settlement complicates matters.
Tourism adds another squeeze, as according to the presentation, summer puts heavy pressure on traffic, parking, and the main tourist hotspots. TIS also argues that the end of tolls on the A22 (Via do Infante) in January 2025 made driving even more competitive in comparison to public transport solutions.
On public transport, TIS flags limits on frequency, timetables, coverage, and direct connections, especially outside rush hour. Poor coordination between services, interchanges, access, and passenger information is another Achilles’ heel.
The firm acknowledges the railway’s potential to shape the region for the better, but finds links and frequencies limited, particularly in the west. Strengthening rail services on the Faro–Lagos stretch, is amongst the priorities. The presentation records 36 daily services on the Algarve Line (August 2026 figures) and says the railway serves 11 of the region’s 16 municipalities.
On buses, the document counts 3.23 million passengers on the VAMUS bus network in 2025 and points to a planned expansion from 72 to 85 lines. It gives neither a timetable for this nor the routes involved.
It also lists 28 flexible transport lines (19 municipal, eight intermunicipal and one inter-regional), which TIS says complement the regular network in sparsely populated areas where an affordable service is hard to run. The consultancy’s priorities include a clean, accessible fleet for the expanded VAMUS network, better transfers, and closer links between trains, buses and interchanges.
On ferries, the presentation identifies 12 regular maritime links across the Ria Formosa, stressing their role in reaching the islands and in tourist travel. Demand, however, is concentrated in the summer, so managing seasonality and better lining up boat times to land transport times are among the priorities.
Road safety is also covered, with the Algarve recording 2,363 accidents with casualties in 2024, up 10% on 2023, with 43 deaths. That is the highest figure in the series presented, which covers the years with available data between 2014 and 2024. The report calls for safer national roads and better protection for pedestrians on urban streets. Walking and cycling face their own obstacles, including crumbling pavements, barriers to movement, and poor accessibility, plus cycle routes that are fragmented and geared towards leisure rather than commuting.
Overall, urban and tourist centres like Faro, Loulé, Portimão, Lagos, and Albufeira are said to have the most room for improvement, with the busiest connections following the seafront strip and the main employment centres.
Source: TIS / AMAL
Photo credit: Archive image
