"The timetables will be available soon", an official source from AMP responded to Lusa, after questions about the availability of timetables for UNIR, the new metropolitan bus network that will circulate throughout AMP except in Porto (excluding the beginning and end of lines).

The Porto City Council today criticised the "lack of planning" of the new UNIR bus network, in the Porto Metropolitan Area (AMP), foreseeing a "very significant impact" on the city and "even more problems" than those that occurred in Lisbon, with the launch of Carris Metropolitana.

"We can conclude that there was a lack of planning and organisation of the AMP when starting the UNIR network, harming the municipality of Porto and the municipalities with great interaction with it, such as Maia and Matosinhos", can be read in a note distributed to councillors by the municipal executive led by Rui Moreira.

The Porto Chamber states that "as of December 1, 2023, the lines of lots 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the UNIR network will come into operation", but not 1, which will serve Maia, Matosinhos and Trofa.

However, AMP said in its response to Lusa, that "like the others, batch 1 will start on December 1, 2023".

The new UNIR network and its image will replace, on December 1, the services provided by around 30 private road operators in AMP, such as Caima, AV Feirense, Transdev, UT Carvalhos, Gondomarense, Pacense, Arriva, Maré, Landim, Valpi, Litoral Norte, Souto, MGC, Seluve, Espírito Santo, among others.

The entire network will use the Andante ticketing system and ends with a line-by-line concession model inherited from 1948, as the public tender was divided into five lots, even though they all operate under the same UNIR brand.