Azores Bus Independent transit guide

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Network

São Miguel bus map: the network as AzoresBus publishes it

AzoresBus publishes fifty-six line PDFs and no network map. This page is the map in words: how the line numbers are grouped, which corridor each group follows out of Ponta Delgada, and where the secondary hubs are. Every line named here links to its full timetable.

Open the official timetable

The short answer

The numbering is the map. Lines 1xx leave Ponta Delgada northwards over the island to Ribeira Grande and then run east along the north coast to Maia, Nordeste and Furnas [source, source, source]. Lines 2xx go west, to Relva, Candelária, Sete Cidades, Mosteiros and the north-west coast around Capelas and João Bom [source]. Lines 3xx go east along the south coast to Lagoa, Vila Franca do Campo, Furnas and Povoação, and include the circular suburban lines around Arrifes, Milagres and the Fajãs [source, source]. E01 and E02 are weekday limited-stop expresses from Nordeste and Povoação, and N01 to N05 are the late-evening lines [source, source].

102 Ponta Delgada – Ribeira Grande (via Rabo de Peixe) Weekdays: 14 trips 07:25–19:15 · 14 trips 06:30–17:45 105 Ponta Delgada – Nordeste (Lomba da Pedreira) Weekdays: 8 trips 06:45–17:45 · 7 trips 06:30–16:15 110 Ponta Delgada – Furnas Weekdays: 2 trips 07:15–15:00 · 2 trips 09:10–17:10 205 Ponta Delgada – Sete Cidades (via Candelária) Weekdays: 4 trips 08:25–18:50 · 3 trips 07:00–12:00 315 Ponta Delgada – Vila Franca do Campo Weekdays: 12 trips 07:00–19:00 · 13 trips 06:30–18:45 318 Ponta Delgada – Povoação Weekdays: 4 trips 09:00–16:00 · 5 trips 06:40–16:00

Step by step

The hub

Almost every line starts on the Ponta Delgada seafront, at the Alfândega, Marina, Piscinas or Forte de São Brás stops, or a few streets inland at the Hospital stop [source, source]. There is no bus station; the first stop printed at the top of each table is where the line begins.

North and east (1xx)

101 runs to Ribeirinha beyond Ribeira Grande; 102 takes the coast road through Rabo de Peixe to Ribeira Grande and Ribeirinha, and 103 the inland road via Pico do Fogo; 105 continues the whole north coast to Nordeste and Lomba da Pedreira; 108 is a school-time line to Lomba de São Pedro via Porto Formoso and Maia; 109 and 111 are Ribeira Grande locals to Ribeirinha and Santa Bárbara; 110 goes to Furnas via Ribeira Grande and Maia; 112 links Nordeste and Povoação on two weekdays [source, source, source]. Ribeira Grande's terminal is the change point for this group.

West (2xx)

200, 202 and 203 are short lines to Relva, Covoada and Candelária; 205, 206 and 208 are the three Sete Cidades lines, the first two via the south-west coast and the third the long way round via Capelas and João Bom; 210 and 211 go to Fenais da Luz, 212 and 217 to Santo António, 216 links Calhetas and Capelas on Saturdays, 218 goes to Remédios, 219, 221 and 222 to João Bom, and 223 is a school-time line between Arrifes and Relva [source, source].

South and suburban (3xx)

301, 303, 305, 306 and 328 are circular lines through Arrifes, Covoada, Milagres and the Fajãs; 302, 304 and 307 are suburban lines to Fajã de Cima and Fajã de Baixo; 311 goes to Lagoa, 312 to Cabouco, 313 and 335 to Remédios de Lagoa, 314 to Ribeira Chã, 315 to Vila Franca do Campo and 316 from there to Ponta Garça; 317 shuttles Furnas to Ribeira Quente, 318 runs the whole south coast to Furnas and Povoação, 319 links Povoação and Furnas, and 321 to 326 are the short Lomba lines from the Povoação terminal [source, source, source]. Povoação's terminal is the change point for the south-east.

Express and night

E01 runs Nordeste – Maia (Chá Gorreana) – Ribeira Grande – Lagoa – Ponta Delgada with seven stops on weekdays, and E02 Povoação – Furnas – Maia – Ribeira Grande – Ponta Delgada [source]. N01 and N03 are night circulars in the city suburbs, N02 goes to Santo António, N04 to Vila Franca do Campo and N05 to Ribeira Grande, the last two leaving Ponta Delgada (Piscinas) at 21:15 and 23:15 every day [source].

What goes wrong

Line numbers close to each other are not the same road. 102 and 103 both end at Ribeira Grande but 103 does not touch Rabo de Peixe; 205 and 208 both end at Sete Cidades but the 208 takes about twice as long [source, source]. Read the "via" in the line name, then the stop list on the line page.

Not reachable by bus

No line serves the airport terminal, Lagoa do Fogo, the Sete Cidades rim viewpoints or the Furnas lakeshore caldeiras; each guide names the nearest printed stop [source].

Lines in this guide

Places: Ponta Delgada · Ribeira Grande · Povoação

Quick answers

Is there an official São Miguel bus map?

AzoresBus publishes one PDF per line and a line index, not a network map [source].

What do the line numbers mean?

1xx north and east via Ribeira Grande, 2xx west, 3xx south coast and city suburbs, E express, N night [source].

Where do I change buses?

At the Ribeira Grande terminal for the north coast, at the Povoação terminal for the south-east, and on the Ponta Delgada seafront for everything else [source, source].

Carry the timetable

Every São Miguel line offline in the Azores Bus app

The operator-sourced timetables, stored on your phone for the moment the last bus matters and the signal does not.

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Sources