Carris Metropolitana has put an end to the nonsense of not being able to use the Navegante pass on the Mar Lines.
There are several bus lines serving the beaches of the Lisbon metropolitan area, but some of them have a very specific purpose: bring the most remote populations closer to bathing areas. They are Carris Metropolitana Sea LinesThese were launched when the operation started in 2022/23, but this summer they have a new feature: they are now included in Navegante passes.
The Sea Lines only operate during the summer period, between July 1st and August 31st, and were, until last year, the only bus lines/buses in the entire Lisbon metropolitan area excluded from the Navegante pass. This limitation had repercussions on passenger attractiveness. According to validation data, the four Mar Lines to Costa da Caparica had between 20 and 45 passengers a day, far below the more than 2,000 or 4,000 passengers transported in a day on lines 3011, from Cacilhas, and 3710, from Areeiro (Lisbon).
There are six Sea Lines in the Carris Metropolitana offerFour of them connect areas of Loures, Odivelas and Vila Franca de Xira to the beaches of Costa da Caparica, and the other two link Moita or Montijo to the center of Sesimbra:
Costa da Caparica
- line 2650from Cidade Nova, in Loures, passing through Póvoa de Santo Adrião and Olival Basto, in Odivelas;
- line 2651, from Bucelas, in Loures, passing through Alverca and Vialonga, in Vila Franca de Xira, and Santo Antão do Tojal and Infantado, in Loures;
- line 2652It starts at Forte Casa, in Vila Franca de Xira, passing through Póvoa de Santa Iria and Santa Iria da Azóia, in the same municipality, and São João da Talha, Bobadela, Sacavém and Portela, in Loures;
- line 2850It will start from Póvoa de Santo Adrião, in Odivelas, passing through Odivelas and Famões, in the same municipality, as well as Pontinha, in Lisbon.
The pass Metropolitan Navigator The cost is €40/month, and it's free for young students up to the age of 23. For passengers who prefer occasional trips, the on-board ticket costs €4.50 but, if bought in advance (zapping), it costs €3.10.
"Just like last year, from July 1st to August 31st, Carris Metropolitana's Mar lines will start running to meet the needs of passengers who want to go to the beach during the summer months"said the operator in a statement. "This year, it will be possible to use the Navegante pass on these lines. It will be even easier and more convenient to get to the bathing areas."
Carris Metropolitana is an initiative of the 18 municipalities of the Lisbon metropolitan area which, through Transportes Metropolitanos de Lisboa (TML), merges the road operation of the entire metropolitan area into a single image and level of service, focused on serving the population, with a high degree of technological and operational complexity, in this case mainly due to the geographical and population dimension.
