Explore Gibraltar

Bus Route Map of Gibraltar

Gibraltar has a surprisingly intricate little bus system for such a tiny place. On 6.8 km² of land you get two operators, day and night routes, beach buses, frontier shuttles and even a real-time tracker.

Here’s a full tour of all the buses and bus routes in Gibraltar, plus some lesser-known details locals like to talk about.

1. The two bus operators

1.1 Gibraltar Bus Company (GBC)

The Gibraltar Bus Company is government-owned and runs most of the internal routes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9 and the night services N1, N8E and N8S. (Wikipedia)

Fleet & look

  • Modern low-floor midibuses (mainly MAN / Caetano) plus smaller minibuses for the steep Upper Town. (leytr.blogspot.com)
  • The buses used to be bright blue. Since about 2015 they’ve switched to the now-familiar red with white arrowsand “Ministry of Transport” branding. If you look closely in certain lights, you can still see traces of the old blue under the paint on some vehicles. (leytr.blogspot.com)
  • All regular buses are low-floor with wheelchair/buggy access.

Tech

GBC has its own real-time bus tracker where you can select any route and watch the vehicles move. For a territory with fewer than 35,000 people, that’s impressively sophisticated. (track.bus.gi)

Fares & residents’ perks (a “hidden” fact)

  • Gibraltar experimented with completely free buses for everyone for years; that ended in 2012 when they introduced the Gibraltar Bus Company Club – residents can pay a small annual fee and then ride for free using a card. (Government of Gibraltar)
  • Visitors usually pay standard single fares or use a day ticket (more on Hopper below).

1.2 Citibus / Calypso Transport

The other player is Citibus, operated by Calypso Transport Ltd, a private firm that’s been running buses in Gibraltar since 1970. (Citibus Gibraltar)

Today Citibus operates:

  • Route 5 & 10 – Frontier ↔ City Centre ↔ Reclamation Road
  • Route X5 – extra limited-stop shuttles between the frontier and Market Place (Citibus Gibraltar)

These are the classic frontier/airport shuttles used by cross-border workers and visitors walking in from Spain.

Historically, Calypso also ran some red double-deckers (ex-Madrid and ex-German buses) including an open-top Route 10 along the west side. (leytr.blogspot.com)

New(ish) environmental angle

Citibus has been progressively replacing older Euro II buses with refurbished Euro VI vehicles, substantially cutting emissions – something the Government has highlighted as part of its clean-air push. (Government of Gibraltar)

2. The Hopper ticket – one pass for all routes

A useful and slightly under-publicised fact: the Hopper bus ticket (sold via Hopper / Citibus) gives unlimited travel on all Gibraltar bus routes – that means Gibraltar Bus Company and Citibus – for the day you redeem it. (Hopper Bus)

  • It’s marketed heavily at cruise passengers and tourists, but anyone can buy it.
  • Because the operators don’t normally accept each other’s tickets, Hopper quietly acts as a unifying pass for the whole network.

3. Gibraltar Bus Company day routes (1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9)

Below is each GBC route, what it does, and what it’s handy for. “Market Place” is the main bus terminal by Casemates Square in the city centre.

Route 1 – Market Place ↔ Willis’s Road (Queensway / Europort corridor)

  • Operator: Gibraltar Bus Company
  • Termini: Market Place – Willis’s Road (Moovit)
  • Rough role: Short north-west city route, linking the city centre with Europort, the hospital area, Mid-Harbour estate and up towards Willis’s Road and the Moorish Castle area.

What it’s good for:

  • Hospital runs (St Bernard’s), Europort offices, and quick hops between Casemates, Queensway and the mid-harbour estates. (busroutes.info)

Lesser-known detail: Route 1 traditionally used smaller buses or minibuses on the steep northern section up towards Moorish Castle because of tight streets, a practice that goes back to the early 2000s. (randomstreets.blogspot.com)

Route 2 – Market Place ↔ Europa Point

  • Operator: Gibraltar Bus Company
  • Termini: Market Place – Europa Point (Playground) (Moovit)

This is the classic tourist route:

  • Runs from Casemates/Market Place through the town and along the west side past Trafalgar Cemetery and Rosia.
  • Continues to Europa Point, home to the Ibrahim-al-Ibrahim Mosque and the famous Trinity Lighthouse. (busroutes.info)

Why people love it:

  • It’s one of the most scenic urban bus routes in Europe in terms of views vs. distance – the whole thing is only about 10–15 minutes end to end. (Moovit)

Route 3 – South Pavilion Steps ↔ Referendum House (Upper South ↔ North estates)

  • Operator: Gibraltar Bus Company
  • Termini: South Pavilion Steps (near St Joseph’s School / South District) – Referendum House in the north. (Moovit)

What it does:

  • Forms a cross-city arc:
    • Starts by St Joseph’s School / Rosia area
    • Runs along Rosia Road and Queensway, past Trafalgar Cemetery, Queensway Quay and Commonwealth Park
    • Continues through Mid-Harbour Estate and Bishop Canilla House
    • Ends at the northern estates around Varyl Begg / Notre Dame / Referendum House

It’s basically the workhorse route for residents of the south and mid-harbour who need the schools and estates in the north, and vice versa.

Fun detail: Route 3 typically runs every 20 minutes on weekdays and every 30 minutes on weekends – more “metro-style” than you’d expect in such a small territory. (Moovit)

Route 4 – Both Worlds (eastern beaches) ↔ Market Place ↔ Rosia

  • Operator: Gibraltar Bus Company
  • Termini: Both Worlds Turnaround (by Sandy Bay, on the east side) – Rosia, on the south-west. (busroutes.info)

Route 4 is the cross-Rock beach-to-harbour line:

  • Starts at Both Worlds (small development above Sandy Bay).
  • Serves Blackstrap Cove, Catalan Bay, Eastern Beach and the eastern side communities. (busroutes.info)
  • Cuts through the town via Market Place, then continues down to Rosia and the naval-history area.

This is the route you take if you want to go from a beach on the Mediterranean side to the historic Rosia Bay (site of Nelson’s body being brought ashore after Trafalgar) without changing buses. (busroutes.info)

Route 7 – Mount Alvernia ↔ Orange Bastion (Upper Town shuttle)

  • Operator: Gibraltar Bus Company
  • Termini: Mount Alvernia care home – Orange Bastion (edge of the city centre) (Moovit)

This is a short, steep Upper Town route:

  • Uses the smallest minibuses in the fleet to negotiate the narrow, winding streets up to Mount Alvernia, an elderly care home with spectacular views. (randomstreets.blogspot.com)
  • Connects residents up there with shops and services in the lower town around Orange Bastion and Main Street.

It’s very much a community service route; tourists rarely use it, which is exactly why it’s interesting.

Route 8 – Reclamation Road (Europort) ↔ Blackstrap Cove / Both Worlds

  • Operator: Gibraltar Bus Company
  • Termini: Reclamation Road Terminus (by Europort / Ocean Village side) – Blackstrap Cove / Both Worlds on the east. (Moovit)

Route 8 is another east–west connector, but starting further north than Route 4:

  • Begins at Reclamation Road, serving the Europort business district and Ocean Village vicinity. (busroutes.info)
  • Runs through mid-harbour estates and the north-east corridor.
  • Crosses Kingsway area to Eastern Beach, then heads along the coastline to Blackstrap Cove and Both Worlds.

It’s ideal for:

  • Getting from hotels and marinas around Ocean Village / Europort to the eastern beaches without having to back-track through Market Place.

Route 9 – Montagu Gardens / Varyl Begg Estate ↔ Rosia

  • Operator: Gibraltar Bus Company
  • Termini: Varyl Begg Estate – Montagu Gardens (north-west residential area) – Rosia (south-west). (Moovit)

Route 9 is a north-west to south-west residential link:

  • Starts in the big residential complex around Montagu Gardens / Varyl Begg estate and Morrisons supermarket.
  • Runs via Europort and hospital area down to Rosia.

Think of it as the “residents’ shortcut” so people don’t have to change at Market Place when moving between the northern estates and the South District.

4. Gibraltar’s night buses: N1, N8E, N8S

For a small city, Gibraltar has a surprisingly thought-out night network, mainly aimed at people going out in town and needing to get home safely.

N1 – Market Place ↔ Willis’s Road (night version of Route 1)

  • Route: Market Place – Willis’s Road
  • When: Mainly Friday and Saturday nights, roughly every 40 minutes from about 21:30 to 02:00. (Moovit)

This is essentially a night variant of Route 1, keeping the Europort / Queensway / Willis’s Road corridor connected to nightlife around Casemates and Chatham Counterguard.

N8E – Chatham Counterguard ↔ Mosque (Europa Point)

  • Operator: GBC
  • Route: Chatham Counterguard (bar/restaurant strip above Casemates) – Europa Point Mosque, via hospital and southern estates. (Gibraltar Bus Company)

N8E is the “east” leg of the N8 concept, running:

  • From nightlife zone at Chatham Counterguard / Reclamation Road
  • Down past Kings Wharf, Rock Hotel area, South District
  • To the Ibrahim-al-Ibrahim Mosque and Europa Point.

It’s particularly useful for people living in the south-coast estates or those working at the lighthouse/mosque area on late shifts.

N8S – Chatham Counterguard ↔ Both Worlds (via Brympton & South District)

  • Operator: GBC
  • Route: Reclamation Road / Chatham Counterguard – Both Worlds, via Brympton, South District and the Europa Road ridge. (Moovit)

N8S covers the southern high road:

  • Serves St Bernard’s Hospital, Mid-Harbour, King’s Wharf and Queensway Quay.
  • Climbs Europa Road past Shorthorn Farm, Brympton and Garrison Gym.
  • Then links through to Both Worlds and the eastern beaches, giving those areas a late-night connection.

Nerdy historical fact: Previously there was an N8A/B circular night route; schedules were later simplified into the N8E and N8S “legs” you see today. (Government of Gibraltar)

5. Citibus / Calypso frontier and city routes (5, 10, X5)

Citibus specialises in border and airport access, plus extra capacity between the frontier and town.

Routes 5 & 10 – Frontier ↔ City Centre ↔ Reclamation Road

  • Route: Frontier terminus (border & airport) – Market Place / Grand Casemates – Reclamation Road (British Steps) – and back. (Citibus Gibraltar)

They are:

  • The first buses you see once you walk out of Spanish passport control.
  • Vital for Spanish commuters and tourists coming from La Línea bus station, which itself is linked by CTMCG regional buses to Algeciras, San Roque and the wider Campo de Gibraltar. (Visit Gibraltar)

Historically, Route 5 was jointly operated by GBC and Calypso, and was once the only fare-paying route when GBC services were free. (Government of Gibraltar)

Route X5 – Extra Frontier ↔ Market Place shuttle

  • Route: Extra limited-stop shuttles from Frontier terminus to Market Place. (Citibus Gibraltar)

X5 is essentially peak-time reinforcement when the normal frontier buses are rammed – think start and end of workday for cross-border workers.

6. How the Spanish buses fit in (CTMCG & others)

Gibraltar’s own buses do not cross the border. Instead:

  • You walk across the frontier (a few minutes) to La Línea de la Concepción.
  • From the La Línea bus station, regional operator CTMCG runs buses to places such as Algeciras, San Roque, Los Barrios and other Campo de Gibraltar towns. (Visit Gibraltar)

So a typical long-distance itinerary is:

Spanish town → CTMCG bus → La Línea bus station → walk across border → Citibus 5/10/X5 or GBC Route 5/2/1 etc.

7. Oddities, quirks and lesser-known facts

To finish, here’s a grab-bag of things most quick guides don’t mention:

7.1 Shortest and longest routes

  • According to transit data aggregators, the shortest line is X5, barely 1 km from Frontier to Glacis Road / Constitution House with just a handful of stops. (Citibus Gibraltar)
  • One of the longest regular runs is the GBC route that goes to the Mosque at Europa Point, at a bit over 7 km end-to-end – which, on a place as small as Gibraltar, is literally the full length of the territory. (Moovit)

7.2 The runway that buses used to cross

  • Until March 2023, the frontier and airport buses had to cross the airport runway on Winston Churchill Avenue, meaning traffic stopped when planes landed. (Wikipedia)
  • With the opening of the Kingsway tunnel, buses (and most vehicles) now go under the runway instead. Some visitors miss the old “bus crossing the runway” party trick.

7.3 The Upper Town minibus culture

  • Route 7 to Mount Alvernia and historically some variations of Route 1 have used tiny minibuses that can squeeze through impossibly tight streets above the Cathedral. These are some of the steepest and narrowest bus-served roads in any British territory. (randomstreets.blogspot.com)

7.4 Blue buses, red buses and confusion

  • GBC’s original blue livery made it visually distinct from Citibus’ red buses.
  • The switch to red GBC buses looks smart but has had one side-effect: for casual visitors, it’s now much harder to tell state bus from private frontier bus, even though they still use different tickets (unless you’re on a Hopper pass). (leytr.blogspot.com)

7.5 Advertising and sustainability

  • Many GBC buses carry big rear adverts promoting cycling and sustainable transport, supported by a long list of local businesses — a visible sign of how central buses are to Gibraltar’s environmental messaging. (Facebook)

7.6 Data geek heaven

  • For such a small network, Gibraltar is very well mapped:
    • OpenStreetMap maintains detailed relations for routes 1–9 and the night lines. (wiki.openstreetmap.org)
    • Independent sites like BusRoutes.info have full stop lists and timetables by route. (busroutes.info)

8. Using the buses in practice

If you actually go:

  • Think of Market Place as your hub. From there:
    • Take 2 to Europa Point
    • 4 or 8 for eastern beaches
    • 1 or 3 for Europort / hospital / mid-harbour
    • 5/10/X5 to/from the frontier and airport

That’s the whole system in a nutshell: compact, a bit quirky, and far more interesting than you’d expect from a place you can walk across in under an hour.

Explore Gibraltar