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The autonomous region of Madeira is composed of 2 main islands, Madeira and Porto Santo, and two groups of uninhabited islands, Desertas and Selvagens. The size of the region is 801 km2, of which Madeira Island covers the largest part (740.7 km2). The land profile in Madeira is flat by the sea on the south coast (where the biggest hotels area is mainly located) and hilly in the centre of and on the north coast. It has a mountain ridge that extends along the centre of the island, reaching 1,862 meter (6,109 feet) at its highest point (Pico Ruivo).
The capital of Madeira is Funchal, which is located on the main island’s south coast. Also, Madeira is divided in 11 municipalities. The population is condensed mainly in the capital with 45% with a population density of 1,500 people/km2. The other municipalities have more dispersed population with many small civil parishes with a population density below 60 people/km2.
The region has political and administrative autonomy through the Administrative Political Statute of the Autonomous Region of Madeira, provided for in the Portuguese Constitution.
Madeira is an EU-wide popular touristic destination, with a subtropical mild climate. In 2018 it received 1,6 million tourists arriving by plane and 533 thousand by cruise ship. The region is famous for its wine, flora, and fauna, with its pre-historic laurel forest classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The main harbour in Funchal has long been the leading Portuguese port in cruise liner dockings, an important stopover for Atlantic passenger cruises between Europe, the Caribbean and North Africa.
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One of the main mobility challenges in Madeira Island is usage of car for touristic purposes together with the lack of an adequate and integrated public transport service provision. The use of car for touristic purposes lead to higher traffic congestion while the inconsistent PT network. This situation to makes difficult for the local inhabitants and tourists to use public transport on their daily trips.
The lack of an intermodal station in Funchal and Ribeira Brava, peripheral parking infrastructures, and the shortage of sidewalks present in all the region, are barriers to full accessibility of the area.
Another issue is the lack of comprehensive information related to the available public transport services present in the Region, and the poor promotion and dissemination of sustainable mobility options to the local inhabitants and tourists.
In addition, the Region of Madeira faces some legal issues that don’t facilitate the promotion of micro-mobility solutions in rural areas, including car rental services.
The lack of public/private mobility solutions and the difficulty in their integration causes traffic congestion in touristic point of interest during all the year. Naturally, the difficulty on the implementation of micro-mobility solutions in rural areas obliges the tourists to use the private or rental car to visit the hinterland. For this reason, one of the tourism challenges is the improvement of the connection inside all the region expanding the sustainable mobility options for tourism purposes.
Bolt
Bolt is an app that provide a fast and affordable airport transfer service. The service offers 6 models of cars: Bolt, Taxi XL, Taxi Lite, Taxi, Taxi Van and Eletric, with the related estimated price. The fare price depends on the time, availability of vehicles and the demand for services. The binding price will be displayed in Bolt app before the reservation of the ride.
AiTram
AiTram is a service that provides Taxi tours around Madeira Island and Porto Santo, through Taxi-Voucher. AirTram has 57 taxi routes available throughout the Islands. The price is defined per route.
Maderia Taxis
Maderia Taxis provides several services including airport transfers, island tours and Levada Walks. They provide standard transport to and from any location inside the island, including the Madeira Walk, they can drop you off at the beginning of the Madeira Walk and pick you up at the end. In addition, they organise Customized Madeira Tours of Madeira Island. The prices are charged per taxi, not per person. They provide transport for individual or big groups.
