RECOMMENDED: The Best Excursions in Gran Canaria
There are now three companies that operate public buses in Gran Canaria: first up we have Guaguas Municipales – the operator of the municipal bus service in the city of Las Palmas. Next there’s Guaguas Guzmán – who operate 5 new routes near Galdar in the North-west of the island, and lastly Global – who operate the majority of the longer island-wide routes. Interestingly the word Guagua means bus in the Canary Islands (but please note that’s not true for mainland Spain), and its origin is either a corruption of the English word ‘Wagon’, a reference to Wa & Wa Co. Inc. (who exported buses to Cuba in the late 19th century), or simply an onomatopoeia based on the sound that bus horns make, no one is truly sure.
How to pay for your Bus Ticket in Gran Canaria
While there are some rechargeable RFID payment cards available but these are mainly aimed at the island residents (they do have substantial discounts available), and these cards are photo identified and require a time-consuming application process. Customers can now pay using contactless smartphone and debit cards on the Global SU routes, however, users do still have to pay with cash on other routes unfortunately.
Seeing Gran Canaria by Public Bus
Whilst a visitor can make use of Global’s public bus service to visit nearly every coastal town or village on the island, it is unfortunately still difficult to visit the villages and scenic locations of the mountainous interior using public transport. For this reason, we do recommend that you hire a car if you want to do any mountain hiking, visit the more remote villages or drive up Roque Nublo.
If you decide instead to hire a car whilst you’re in Gran Canaria we have teamed up with Discover Cars to compare rental prices.
Getting to your resort from the Airport
Unlike the other Canary Islands, the Gran Canaria bus routes from the airport to most of the major tourist resorts is excellent. The services even run through the night to Maspalomas and Playa del Inglés, and from 4am to Puerto de Mogan. If you want the convenience of being dropped off at your hotel, then a pre-booked airport transfer is also an option we recommend.
If you’re looking for idea’s of what to do in Gran Canaria we have some unique information to help you have an unforgettable holiday.
Timetables
Rather than link to every single bus route timetable, we have linked below to the new routes that are most commonly used by tourists, and to the bus operator’s websites.
Route 1 – Las Palmas to Puerto de Mogan via Gran Canaria Airport, San Agustin, Playa del Ingles, Maspalomas, Meloneras, Arguineguin and Puerto Rico.
Route 5 – Las Palmas to Maspalomas via Gran Canaria Airport, San Agustin and Playa del Ingles.
Route 50 – Las Palmas to Maspalomas Direct.
Route 60 – Las Palmas to Gran Canaria Airport Direct.
Route 66 – Gran Canaria Airport to Maspalomas via San Agustin and Playa del Ingles
Route 90 – Telde to Maspalomas via Gran Canaria Airport (some buses go as far as Puerto Rico, Tauro and Playa del Cura).
Route 91 – Las Palmas to Puerto de Mogan via Gran Canaria Airport, Arguineguin, Puerto Rico and Playa de Amadores.
Route 103 – Las Palmas to Puerto de las Nieves (Agaete)
The rest of Global’s routes and timetables can be found here.
Guaguas Municipales routes and timetables can be found here.
Guaguas Guzmán’s routes and timetables can be found here.
We hope you found this information of interest and you enjoy your stay on the beautiful island of Gran Canaria!
If you are looking for some exciting activities to do whilst in Gran Canaria we have some great offers below;
