A study on student perception of urban mobility services in Coimbra, released today at a press conference, reveals that 42.1% of surveyed students feel the transport network does not adequately cover the routes they need, while 43.1% say it meets their needs except for some specific lines, with only a small portion (13.3%) expressing complete satisfaction.
With local elections approaching, likely in September or October, the AAC’s study focused on student satisfaction with Coimbra’s urban mobility system, seeking to understand student routes, usage frequency, and the impact on daily life, explained General Directorate President, Carlos Magalhães.
The study gathered 1,041 responses, 95% from University of Coimbra students, with the vast majority (80%) coming from outside their home regions.
The report highlights several deficiencies in the Municipal Urban Transport Services of Coimbra (SMTUC), with more than 80% of respondents citing timetable failures and over half criticizing the low frequency and overcrowding of buses.
Afonso Pereira, also from AAC’s General Directorate, observed an increase in SMTUC trips between 2022 and 2024 (an additional 2.5 million), alongside a rise in nominal investment (from 33.4 million euros in 2023 to 37.9 million in 2025), but this was not reflected in a proportional increase relative to the Municipal Budget.
Pereira indicated a key issue lies between the Polo I and Polo II campuses, which will not be resolved by the Mondego Mobility System (SMM), as its route will not directly serve either University of Coimbra campuses.
To address this, the AAC proposes a shuttle service between Polo II, which hosts approximately 7,000 students, and the future Quinta da Portela SMM station, the closest to that campus, pending a ‘metrobus’ network expansion.
According to the survey, about 86.9% of students regularly use public transport in Coimbra, with 77.8% using it for trips to educational institutions, noted Carolina Alexandre from the General Directorate.
João Valor, another student leader, commented on the low satisfaction levels with Coimbra’s current public transport network, noting students pointed to numerous issues.
In the case of Polo II, one noted issue is that a serving line operates only during school hours, which do not align with higher education schedules, he stated.
Besides the proposed Polo II shuttle, students advocate for peripheral route optimization and criticize the lack of real-time service information, arguing the recently launched SMTUC app does not consistently provide this feature.
AAC President, Carlos Magalhães, emphasized that beyond housing costs, which are problematic for students, “mobility should not be seen as a privilege.”
Magalhães stressed the need to improve the SMTUC network to better reflect the population’s reality and necessities.
Magalhães also mentioned that the document presented will be submitted to Coimbra’s City Council and SMTUC, which in February contracted a comprehensive review of the entire public transport network.
The press conference saw the attendance of various political parties.
