---
title: "Spain vs. Portugal: Same On-Time Performance, Different Stories"
description: Spain and Portugal share identical 91.6% on-time performance scores, but the data tells two very different stories. Learn what's behind the numbers.
---

[Optibus Blog](https://blog.optibus.com)

# [Spain vs. Portugal: Same On-Time Performance, Different Stories](https://blog.optibus.com/spain-vs.-portugal-on-time-performance)

 Written by [Charlotte Steel, Product Marketing Manager, Snapper](https://blog.optibus.com/author/charlotte-steel-product-marketing-manager-snapper) | May 8, 2026

If you look at the on-time performance (OTP) of Spain and Portugal side-by-side, it appears to be a draw. According to the [Mosaiq Global Public Transit Index (GPTI)](https://www.mosaiq.co/global-pt-index), both countries clock in at exactly **91.6%** on-time performance. In global rankings, Portugal holds the 9th spot, while Spain follows in 10th out of 22 countries worldwide.

While the headline figures are identical, the underlying data reveals two diverging stories regarding network reliability and passenger experience.

## Portugal: Managing a Capacity Crunch

Portugal’s primary operational hurdle is lateness. A full **7%** of its bus trips arrive behind schedule, which is more than double Spain’s late-running rate of **3.1%**. This performance gap is driven by a combination of surging demand and environmental stress:

- **Ridership Growth:** National bus agency Rede Expressos transported over [12.5 million passengers in 2025](https://www.theportugalnews.com/news/2026-01-21/portugal-bus-company-expanding-routes/947933), representing a **9%** year-on-year increase.
- **Urban Pressure:** Lisbon saw a record [19 million bus passengers in October 2025 alone](https://www.theportugalnews.com/news/2025-11-13/record-lisbon-transport-numbers/916356).
- **Congestion Trends:** In Lisbon, more than 390,000 cars [hit the roads each day](https://www.reddit.com/r/lisboa/comments/1knxtn6/todos_os_dias_entram_em_lisboa_390_mil_carros/?tl=en), which is 20,000 more than eight years ago.
- **Infrastructure Recovery:** The network is currently recovering from [three back-to-back storms in early 2026](https://www.fidifocus.org/news/portugal-movers-respond-to-storms/) that caused significant damage to road and rail infrastructure.

For Portugal, the data suggests that the priority is building fleet and infrastructure capacity. Simply increasing the number of buses may not solve the issue if they are not paired with bus priority lanes and reviewed schedules to avoid a "reliability death spiral" where poor performance drives down ridership and funding.

## Spain: The Challenge of "Early" Departures

Spain faces an opposite but equally disruptive issue: **5.3%** of its trips arrive or leave early, compared to only **1.4%** in Portugal.

- **Padded Schedules:** This pattern often reflects overly conservative scheduling where extra "buffer time" is added to guard against delays.
- **Passenger Impact:** While early arrivals may seem like a minor issue, a bus that leaves even two minutes early is effectively a bus that never showed up for the passenger standing at the stop.
- **Timing at Start:** Data suggests these early departures frequently happen at the start of journeys when drivers "trip on".

The opportunity for Spain lies in refining these buffer times to reduce early departures without sacrificing the overall reliability that operators have worked to build.

## The Global Context

While 91.6% is a strong score, both nations sit behind global leaders like **Finland (97.9%)**, the **Czech Republic (97.1%)**, and **Lithuania (96.4%)**.

The data indicates that GDP is not the sole factor in performance; for example, Spain’s GDP is roughly **20 times** the size of Lithuania’s, yet Lithuania maintains higher on-time performance. Public transport usage rates also vary significantly; according to Eurostat,<https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/de/web/products-eurostat-news/w/ddn-20260311-2>**67.8% of Portuguese citizens** [did not use public transport at all in 2024](https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/de/web/products-eurostat-news/w/ddn-20260311-2), compared to only 28.8% in Finland.

## Methodology: Bridging the Data Gap

These localized insights are made visible through the integrated **Performance Suite**, a collaborative solution between **Optibus and Snapper Services**. By combining historical performance analytics from Snapper’s **Mosaiq Insights** with Optibus’ AI-driven **Predictive Runtimes**, agencies can identify exactly where "as-planned" schedules differ from "as-operated" reality.

## Conclusion: Data as the Diagnostic, Not Just the Score

On-time performance is often treated as a final grade, but the tie between Spain and Portugal proves it is actually a diagnostic starting point. A single 91.6% headline figure masks two fundamentally different operational hurdles: one network is struggling to keep up with its own growth, while the other is struggling with the precision of its own planning.

The path forward for both nations isn't found in a broader margin of error, but in more granular visibility. By integrating historical performance data directly into the planning cycle, transit agencies can stop guessing where to add or subtract time. Whether the goal is overcoming infrastructure neglect or fine-tuning the "ghost bus" out of the schedule, the solution lies in closing the loop between the data we see today and the service we provide tomorrow.

**Snapper** Services is focused on accelerating the journey to a sustainable world by enabling excellent, frictionless customer experiences through a suite of intelligent, data-driven tools that enhance and streamline operator performance.  The company’s Mosaiq Transit Intelligence Suite includes tools that enable public transit operators and authorities to identify inefficiencies across routes, extend capabilities, and have complete visibility over their operations. Snapper is a [partner of Optibus](https://optibus.com/company/global-partnership-program/).

 

*This article was reviewed and edited by [Shoshi Goldstein,](https://www.linkedin.com/in/shoshi-goldstein/) Product Marketing Team Lead at Optibus.*

 

**Further Reading:**

- Case Study: [Arriva UK doubles service frequency using Optibus](https://optibus.com/case/how-arriva-uk-improved-reliability-and-frequency-using-optibus/)
- Article: [What Happens When You Shift a Trip by 5 Minutes?](https://blog.optibus.com/your-blog-postwhat-happens-when-you-shift-a-trip-by-5-minutes?hsLang=en)
- Case study: [Improving On-Time Performance by 13% in Jacksonville, Florida](https://optibus.com/case/how-jacksonville-transportation-authority-boosted-on-time-performance-by-13-with-optibus-and-snapper-services/)

[View full post](https://blog.optibus.com/spain-vs.-portugal-on-time-performance)

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