Portugal sees surge in beach bus and Azores ferry passenger volumes

Carris Metropolitana reported transporting roughly 60,000 passengers to the Arrábida beaches in June 2024, a year‑on‑year increase of just 0.6%. Pre‑purchased tickets rose 39% and on‑board tickets 37% compared with June 2025. The company operates four seasonal beach lines (4470, 4471, 4474, 4477) with frequencies ranging from 10 to 75 minutes.

Atlânticoline ferries in the Azores recorded 56,974 passenger disembarkations in June 2024, a drop of 7.97% from the same month in 2025. The Pico island saw 25,341 passengers (‑8.12%); Faial 23,362 (‑8.94%); São Jorge 6,585 (‑6.57%); Terceira 598 (‑7.43%); while Graciosa increased 12.2% to 322. In the western group, Flores rose 9.57% to 412 and Corvo 13.1% to 354. The first half of 2024 totalled 211,479 disembarkations, 4.95% lower than the comparable period in 2025.