The expedition, which left on Friday, April 24, 2026, from the Sanchinarro operations center, was seen off by the Mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, and the Mayor of Burgos, Cristina Ayala. The latter expressed her deep gratitude for the solidarity shown by the Spanish capital.
A total of 45 professionals from Burgos have volunteered to drive the buses in a caravan traveling along the A-1 at a maximum speed of 70 kilometers per hour. The convoy is escorted by the Guardia Civil and includes technical assistance and a crane for any eventualities. The Mayor of Burgos praised the “titanic effort” of these public workers.
“"Madrid, when needed, always answers the call."
The vehicles, bearing the message ‘Madrid con Burgos’ (Madrid with Burgos) accompanied by a heart, will be fully operational in the Castilian city within a week. The Mayor of Burgos confirmed that forensic police are still investigating the origin of the fire, which caused losses exceeding 20 million euros, an amount equivalent to the annual investment capacity of the Burgos City Council.
The loan of these buses, initially for six months and free of charge, represents crucial “oxygen” for the city, allowing decisions to be made about the new fleet over the next two years. The Burgos City Council will study the tender for new vehicles under a rental scheme, considering environmental objectives for 2030-2035.
The Mayor of Madrid compared the magnitude of the event to the loss of half of Madrid's fleet, highlighting the technical complexity of the operation, which included changing insurance in a short time and the scarcity of available vehicles on the market. He assured that this cession will not affect Madrid's transport service and has opened the door to extending the loan if necessary.
Madrid's EMT has carried out similar actions in the past, such as sending 15 buses to Toledo in 2023 after floods, deploying human and material resources in Valencia in 2024 due to the DANA storm, and delivering 32 vehicles to Ukraine also in 2023.
