After months of tense negotiations, the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB) has formally assumed control of Sant Cugat del Vallès’ urban bus network. The agreement, signed on Tuesday, integrates the town’s service into the wider Bus Metropolità system, which already covers six municipalities in the metropolitan second ring.
The deal was endorsed by AMB vice-presidents Antonio Balmón and Carlos Cordón, alongside Sant Cugat’s mayor, Josep Maria Vallès. Cordón said the move would strengthen public transport, making it more competitive, sustainable and accessible. Vallès, who had clashed with the AMB earlier this year, called the outcome ‘historic’.
Under the agreement, AMB will pay the municipality €4.65 million annually, retroactive to 1 January 2024. Sant Cugat, with AMB’s backing, will purchase 27 new buses to modernise its fleet. The contract establishes a two-year timeframe for tendering the service, extendable for another two years.
This transition brings Sant Cugat in line with other towns that have already handed over their bus services, including Molins de Rei, Cervelló, El Papiol, Pallejà, Sant Vicenç dels Horts and Castellbisbal. Work is under way to add Barberà del Vallès and Corbera de Llobregat, while the service for Cerdanyola del Vallès has already been tendered.
The consolidation marks a step towards a unified metropolitan mobility model, designed to streamline operations and reinforce public transport’s role at a time when sustainability is at the forefront of urban policy.
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