With an accident rate of just 0.1%, Spain’s bus and coach sector has an exceptional road safety record. IRU member CONFEBUS explains how it got there – and how to maintain it.
For Spain’s bus and coach sector, road safety is not built around a single measure. It is the result of investment in professional drivers and rigorous training, modern vehicles and technology, and strong operating standards.
Spain’s model for contracting regular public passenger transport services also plays a role. Public service contracts set demanding requirements for vehicle age and onboard equipment, encouraging operators to renew their fleets and helping ensure high safety, comfort and technology standards.
“Maintaining such an outstanding safety record while carrying billions of passengers every year is something the Spanish bus and coach sector can be very proud of,” said CONFEBUS Director Jaime Rodríguez.
“The sector’s ultimate goal is zero fatalities; a target that Spain’s bus and coach sector already achieved in 2019,” he added.
Not letting standards slip
With such a strong safety record already in place, the challenge is maintaining it while continuing to improve. This means investing in safer vehicles and infrastructure and putting professional drivers at the centre. Drivers’ working conditions and wellbeing are also essential to road safety.
CONFEBUS sees training as particularly important for this effort. It supports modernising the European framework for professional driver training so that it becomes more flexible and better adapted to the needs of drivers and operators, while preserving high safety standards.
“Training must remain a cornerstone of road safety, but it also needs to evolve,” said Jaime Rodríguez. “We therefore welcome the European debate on simplifying and modernising the CPC training framework.”
Infrastructure also matters. More bus lanes and modern terminals could make operations safer while improving the attractiveness of collective transport. And encouraging more people to choose buses and coaches can itself contribute to road safety.
“One bus can replace around 20 cars on average, reducing traffic density,” said Jaime Rodríguez. “Beyond making mobility more sustainable and efficient, buses and coaches make our roads safer for everyone.”
This is especially relevant in Spain, where buses and coaches play an important role in tourism, connecting visitors with cities, airports, ports, cultural attractions and destinations not always served by rail.
Technology supporting drivers
Technology is adding another layer of safety.
Spain’s modern bus and coach fleet is increasingly equipped with advanced driver assistance systems, including automatic emergency braking, lane departure warnings, blind-spot detection, and systems monitoring driver fatigue and attention.
Spanish operators invest around EUR 1 billion each year in fleet renewal and professional training. Digitalisation is helping improve fleet management, preventive maintenance and driving performance. Regular maintenance and technical inspections remain equally important in preventing mechanical failures.
“Technology supports professional drivers. Combining highly trained drivers with increasingly intelligent vehicles is the best way to make one of the safest modes of transport even safer,” concluded Jaime Rodríguez.