Public bus journeys reached 7.42 million trips, while vehicle traffic decreased by 4.2% compared to 2024, according to data analyzed by the Ibiza & Formentera Preservation Sustainability Observatory
June 26, 2026 – The Ibiza & Formentera Preservation Sustainability Observatory has analyzed the 2025 mobility and transport data for the island of Ibiza , which reflects positive trends in some of the main indicators related to sustainable mobility. According to data published on the Consell d’Eivissa Transparency Portal , public transport use reached 7.42 million journeys last year, compared to 7.32 million in 2024 , representing a 1.4% increase and the highest figure recorded since the start of the historical series in 2017. At the same time, the average daily traffic recorded on the island’s road network decreased to 11,015 vehicles , 4.2% less than the previous year.
Furthermore, the public transport usage rate in 2025 stood at 45.2 journeys per inhabitant. Although this figure barely changed compared to 2024, when 45.3 journeys per inhabitant were recorded, it represents a 44.5% increase compared to 2022 , the year in which free service was implemented for all users.
Traffic data collected in the Ibiza Sustainability Report 2025, currently being prepared and fully funded by the Consell Insular d’Eivissa (Island Council of Ibiza), also reflect a slight reduction in road traffic. This is the first decrease recorded since the start of the available data series, which covers the period 2018-2025. In addition to the decrease in average daily traffic volume, mobility measured by the vehicle-kilometer indicator —which expresses the total volume of traffic taking into account both the number of vehicles and the distance traveled —fell from 783.7 million vehicle-kilometers per year in 2024 to 781.1 million in 2025.
The Ibiza Sustainability Observatory has welcomed this data: “The increased use of public transport is positive news because it helps reduce dependence on private vehicles, promotes more efficient use of infrastructure , and helps decrease emissions associated with mobility,” explains Elisa Langley , coordinator of the Observatory. “Mobility in Ibiza depends largely on the citizens, but it is also closely linked to our economic activity, our growth, and our daily habits. Being aware of the importance of decarbonizing our transport footprint represents an environmental improvement for the island and also greater fluidity on the road network ,” she adds.
Along these lines, the Observatory has also positively assessed the initial data for the 2026 season , recently announced by the Councilor for Mobility of the Consell Insular d’Eivissa, Mariano Juan , which reflects a 30% increase in the number of bus users during the first half of June compared to the same period last year. The Observatory’s coordinator, Langley, is confident that this increase in public transport use will translate into a reduction in the number of vehicles on the road , although she notes that, “despite the one-off decrease in 2025 in the historical series , the long-term trend shows an upward trend.”
In fact, compared to 2018 levels, the average daily traffic intensity increased by 5.76% in 2025, while mobility, measured in vehicle-kilometers, increased by 5.35%. Therefore, the Observatory’s coordinator points out that small, everyday decisions can contribute to this change . “Using public transport, cycling, or even walking short distances instead of using the car for very brief journeys are examples that foster a shift in awareness and contribute to the common good,” she emphasizes.
For her part, Inma Saranova , director of IbizaPreservation, encourages citizens to improve their habits but also reminds the administration that work must continue on improving the system and that the responsibility cannot fall exclusively on individuals who use private vehicles. As she emphasizes, “It is precisely the workers, who often depend on cars because they lack a sufficiently frequent or well-connected public transport alternative, who suffer from a model that is still not entirely efficient in guaranteeing sustainable mobility. We cannot ask people to change their habits if we don’t first give them viable options .” For all these reasons, Saranova believes that “the transition must emphasize changes in habits, but also very significant changes in the mobility model so that the most sustainable option is also the easiest option, which would imply, in the short term, converting park and ride facilities into true park & rides with shuttles and control; in the medium term, continuing to close critical sections of the interurban cycling network and access to beaches; and, in the longer term, consolidating intermodal nodes and improving data to better manage flows.”
According to the director of Ibiza & Formentera Preservation: “we must aspire to create an island mobility system capable of integrating frequent public transport throughout the year, micro-transport for rural and dispersed areas, mandatory shuttles to sensitive spaces, real park and ride facilities, a safe cycling network and progressive regulation of rental vehicles and vehicle entry in high season.”
More registrations and progress in low-emission vehicles
The data analyzed in the Ibiza Sustainability Report 2025 also reflects changes in the island’s vehicle fleet . On the one hand, 8,016 vehicles were registered in 2025 , representing a 20.45% increase compared to the previous year. The largest increase was in passenger cars, with 4,679 registrations, the highest figure recorded in the last ten years.
On the other hand, the evolution by fuel type shows an acceleration in the transition towards more sustainable mobility technologies. In Ibiza, this change was especially visible between 2024 and 2025, a period in which the growth in registrations of hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and electric vehicles intensified, while gasoline and diesel vehicles continued to lose relative market share. In 2025, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and electric vehicles together represented 31.82% of total registrations , compared to 3% in 2018. This proportion far exceeds a quarter of the market and demonstrates the progress of the progressive electrification of new vehicles on the island, according to the Observatory.
“It’s positive that electric mobility is advancing, but we mustn’t confuse sustainability with simply replacing engines. Electrification reduces direct emissions and local pollution, but if we maintain the same volume of vehicles, the same pressure on the land, the same consumption of public space, and the same dependence on private cars, we’ll be changing the technology without transforming the model. The priority should be reducing unnecessary journeys , strengthening public transport, facilitating active and shared mobility , and reserving electric vehicles for those uses where they are truly necessary, since they require enormous amounts of energy and critical materials for their manufacture,” says Inma Saranova. In fact, road travel remains the predominant mode of transportation and continues to exert significant pressure on the island’s road network.
The proportion of heavy goods vehicles also continued to rise, reaching 4.4% of average daily traffic in 2025 , compared to 4.2% in 2024 , the highest figure in the entire historical series. “The continued increase in heavy goods vehicles reflects a greater intensity of goods distribution, supply, and service activities, likely associated with the growth of economic activity and logistics demand,” explains Langley. “This phenomenon may put greater pressure on road infrastructure and require specific measures to improve road safety , optimize traffic management , and minimize the environmental impacts of goods transport,” he adds.
The Observatory indicates that the slight reduction in traffic recorded in 2025 could be linked to the entry into force of Law 5/2024, which regulates the flow of vehicles to the island of Ibiza for sustainable tourism. However, they believe it will be necessary to continue analyzing the evolution of the indicators in the coming years to assess the true impact and scope of this measure.
