Public and private transport in Ibiza for wheelchair users

Getting there by air and by sea

Ibiza is very well connected by plane, and the airport is well equipped and has a strong accessibility support service team, but another way to get there is by ferry from mainland Spain. From Valencia, Barcelona and Denia you have a number of ferries that are wheelchair accessible, such as those of the company Balearia. The connections are with Ibiza but also directly with Formentera, and from Denia, for example, you can do a day round trip to Formentera with them. Some destinations are only available from May to October, others are open all year long as they are for locals and not just for tourists.

On Balearia you should indicate your accessibility needs when booking, as from the company website they indicate that they have adapted seats (with lowerable arm rests and safety belt), adapted bathrooms in common areas, safety anchorages for wheelchairs and that “if the vessel has cabins, they will be fitted out”. As not every vessel has the same characteristics, it’s useful to check before with them. The vessels are pretty big, and have a very wide ramp to access, as they also take motorbikes and bikes, and some also take cars. (Visit the Balearia website for more information https://helpcenter.balearia.com/hc/en-gb/sections/360002241818-Seguridad-y-accesibilidad )

There are connections to Formentera also from Ibiza city, but most of the companies that serve also other locations (connecting Santa Eularia to Ibiza for example) have smaller boats where the boarding happens exclusively via a very narrow ramp. Therefore if you are able to walk on the ramp and do a few steps you can also use Santa Eulalia Ferries (https://www.santaeulaliaferry.com/) or other local companies.

Taxis: the best choice for accessible transfers

In Ibiza there are a high number of taxis, and adapted ones too, but in the high season you will have to fight (or just wait). You can reserve your transfers beforehand (advised - especially in high season) and since each municipality has their own taxi jurisdiction, you should get the number of your taxi jurisdiction of “residence” and call them, to book your taxi. This does not apply when you arrive at the airport, there you can just take any accessible taxi you find.

Here is the list of phone numbers of the various Taxi companies:

• Nitax Ibiza city - 971 45 45 45
• Radio Taxi San José - 971 80 00 80
• Radio Tax San Antonio - 971 34 37 64
• Radio Tax Santa Eulalia - 971 33 33 33
• Radio Tax San Juan - 971 33 33 33
• Radio Tax Formentera - 971 32 23 42
• Central Radio Taxi for all over the island: 971 33 33 33 (excluded Ibiza city)

In the website of Taxi Ibiza, you can do something very practical: if you create a user profile in advance, you can pre-book online your accessible transfers with the selection of the option “WheelChair” and have everything planned in advance: https://www.taxiibiza.net/.

Public transport: a cheap and not super easy to use option

Public transport consists exclusively of buses in Ibiza: and here it gets complicated as some are accessible and some are not, it depends on the line and the vehicle – the newest buses have ramps, but some lines run with old buses that do not have it. One piece of advice is to try asking at your location’s bus station, if there is any guarantee that the bus you need to take will be accessible. If you are able to use buses for some of the transfers, you will certainly save a lot of money, but bring cash, as not all buses take cards (most don’t, especially the old ones, which usually also do not have ramps anyway). Also, bus travel requires a lot of patience, as even in low season the bus transfers are very slow. Just as a comparison: the ride from the airport to Santa Eularia on a bus cost 3 Euros, against a taxi ride of 40 on the way back. So if for some transfers you manage to figure it out by bus, it’s not bad to save a bit. Another element to consider is the fact that often bus stops are in the middle of nowhere, and not super clearly marked, like in the photo where the bus stop basically consists of a plastic chair – and it is not the only one I have seen like this!

But if you are staying near a bus station, then it is easier to do some transfers the cheap and slow way. Some areas of the island are not connected even by bus though – which brings us back to the best option for moving around in Ibiza: the car.