The national traffic of buses and coaches in Portugal saw various fluctuations over the past decade. Starting from 353 million vehicle-kilometers in 2013, the traffic demonstrated a slight decline in 2014. The values rebounded strongly in 2015 with 8.78% year-on-year growth and continued to rise until 2018. However, 2019 experienced a notable drop of 10.11%, followed by a steep decline in 2020 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a year-on-year decrease of 24.55%. The following years saw recovery, with 2021 and 2022 posting growth rates of 29.7% and 4.62%, respectively. In 2023, the traffic stood at 431.31 million vehicle-kilometers, representing a 6.27% year-on-year increase. Over the past five years leading up to 2023, the Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) was -0.44%.
Looking ahead, the forecast data indicates a gradual increase in national traffic, with slight adjustments and reaching 443.34 million vehicle-kilometers by 2028. The expected average annual growth rate over these five years is 0.39%, with overall growth projected at 1.94%.
Future trends to watch for include advancements in sustainable public transport solutions, potential infrastructure improvements, and tourism-driven bus and coach traffic fluctuations. Monitoring these factors will be crucial for understanding future traffic dynamics in Portugal.
