The Mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, has participated in the closing ceremony of the training course for 121 new bus drivers held today at the Sanchinarro Operations Center. After welcoming them to EMT Madrid, «a public and municipal company that is a source of pride for the city and its residents,» Almeida highlighted the service provided by its staff on April 28, during the blackout, in a city without traffic lights or communications. The mayor also emphasized the crucial importance of sustainable public transportation in a city like Madrid.
EMT Madrid continues to maintain a high level of hiring to reinforce its driving staff. With these 121 new drivers, a total of 399 professionals have already been incorporated in 2025, six of them coming from internal mobility. From the end of 2019 until May 2025, EMT Madrid has hired a total of 2,073 new drivers. In 2024, 369 drivers were added. In 2023, 322 new professionals were hired, and in 2022, 280 new drivers joined the company. In 2021, a total of 252 drivers were hired, and in 2020, 358 driving professionals signed their contracts. Additionally, from November 2019 until December 31, 2019, a total of 93 drivers were hired. With these hiring figures, the City of Madrid reinforces its commitment to sustainable mobility and public transportation within the framework of the Madrid 360 Environmental Sustainability Strategy.
The training course for these new professionals lasted five weeks, during which they received seven hours of daily preparation. Throughout the learning period, the 121 new drivers received a total of 175 hours of training. After passing rigorous theoretical and practical tests, in addition to the mandatory medical examination, the professionals received training in real-world driving, with and without passengers. The new driving staff will begin their service tomorrow, May 29.
EMT Madrid, the global manager of surface mobility
The Municipal Transport Company of Madrid is a joint-stock company founded in 1947. Owned by the City Council, EMT Madrid is the global manager of surface mobility in the city, responsible for the management and operation of urban bus services, the public electric bicycle system bicimad, the municipal crane service, a set of public and resident parking lots, and the Madrid Cable Car service. It is part of the Regional Transport Consortium of Madrid, the authority responsible for planning public transportation in the region.
Currently, it has a workforce of over 10,200 employees and an annual budget of €859.8 million. In recent years, the increase in passengers aboard EMT Madrid’s fleet has been significant: the municipal company closed 2024 with a total of 476 million passengers compared to the 454.6 million registered at the end of 2023, an increase of 21.4 million, representing a 4.7% growth.
EMT Madrid has been the first national operator to completely eliminate diesel as fuel to make Madrid the first major European city with a 100% clean bus fleet, in line with the current European Directive on Clean Vehicles. In the last five years, the capital has accelerated the transformation of EMT Madrid’s operations centers to meet the needs of zero-emission vehicles, achieving a fleet of 443 fully electric vehicles that currently serve a total of 44 lines. Green hydrogen applied to urban transport is another strong commitment of the municipal company and the current team of the City of Madrid to meet the goals outlined in the Madrid 360 Sustainability Strategy. /
FUENTE
