Barcelona takes action over UK tourists to 'give locals a chance'

UK tourists in Barcelona have been warned after changes were made to give local people a "chance". A popular bus map has been scrubbed from the internet and apps so locals have more of a chance of gaining access to public transport.

A 116 bus serves the Park Guell area has been removed from Google Maps in a bid to give a chance to locals to take advantage of it. It comes amid concerns the 20-seat service is often overcrowded by visitors and rendered unusable for locals.

This city, home to 1.6 million people, attracts several million tourists every year. The 116 bus serves Carmel Hill, which attracts approximately nine million people yearly, according to tourism statistics and figures.

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Barcelona’s city council increased the frequency of the service, but residents still complained that they were often unable to find a seat. Cllr Albert Batlle said earlier this year that city hall had decided to “remove the bus from route searches and other internet tools”.

Cesca Sánchez, a member of the Park Güell neighbours association, said the removal of the 116 from Google Maps’ recommended route service had made a dramatic difference overnight. “We laughed when we first heard the idea because it sounded absurd and futile,” Ms Sánchez told the digital newspaper elDiario.

“But now we are amazed because the measure really is being effective:” Another resident said: “Before it was so full that locals could not all get on and sometimes people with walking sticks were left waiting for the next bus."

“A couple of months ago we approved a plan to improve mobility in La Salut neighbourhood around the main access to Park Güell, which among other things included a measure to see if this bus could be removed from the mobility apps,” a council spokesman said in a statement.