Ceuta commissions AMGEVICESA to operate the tourist bus for 69,350 euros

The Counselor of Commerce, Tourism, Employment, and Sport of the Autonomous City of Ceuta, Nicola Cecchi Bisoni, signed on October 15, 2026, the decree approving the in-house assignment to the Sociedad Municipal Aparcamientos Municipales y Gestión Vial de Ceuta, S.A. (AMGEVICESA) for the management and operation of the “Tourist Bus service in the Autonomous City of Ceuta.” The resolution is published in the Official Gazette of the City of Ceuta (BOCCE) No. 6,662, corresponding to Tuesday, October 20, 2026, under reference 700 and spanning pages 3653 to 3655.

The assignment is based on Article 32.1 of Law 9/2017, of November 8, on Public Sector Contracts (LCSP), which allows contracting authorities to directly execute services typical of service contracts through an assignment to a legal entity that has the status of a personified in-house means, without such an assignment being considered a contract. The material competence of the Ministry derives from Article 21.1.16 of Organic Law 1/1995, of March 13, on the Statute of Autonomy of Ceuta, and from the Presidency Decree of June 23, 2023 (BOCCE No. 42), modified by the decree of November 29, 2023 (BOCCE No. 73).

A double-decker vehicle acquired for tourism promotion

The background of the file is the acquisition, by the Ministry, of a double-decker tourist bus type vehicle intended to tour the main sites of historical, cultural, patrimonial, and scenic interest in the city. The action is part of tourism promotion aimed at improving the visitor experience, expanding the offer, and reinforcing the image of the destination.

According to the Necessity Report and Justification Memorandum, daily operation requires a permanent structure for driving, planning, coordination, maintenance, cleaning, incident management, procurement, ticket sales, economic control, and statistical monitoring, which the promoting Ministry does not possess sufficient in-house means for. The report anticipates an ordinary dedication of five hours of service per day.

38 euros per hour and 1,825 hours per year

The compensation for the in-house means is calculated with a module of 38.00 euros per hour of service and a forecast of five hours daily for 365 days of the year, which equals 1,825 hours and an estimated amount of 69,350.00 euros for the year of the assignment’s duration. Settlement will be carried out according to the hours actually performed.

The assignment includes:

• The driving and execution of routes, the organization of schedules and shifts, and the operational and incident control.
• The cleaning, sanitization, and maintenance of the vehicle.
• The processing and acquisition of supplies.
• The technical and administrative management of ticket sales and access control systems.
• The separate control of income and expenses and the preparation of periodic statistics and reports.

Funding will be covered by the resources provided for the company in the General Budgets of the City, primarily through current transfers from chapter 4, charged to the budgetary application 008/1330/44900 “Transfers to Aparcamientos Municipales y Gestión Vial, S.A.”. The resolution specifies that it does not, by itself, authorize an additional specific contribution charged to the Department’s budget.

One year duration and tariffs pending approval

The assignment will have a duration of one year from the date on which the execution order is communicated to AMGEVICESA, in accordance with article 32.6.b) of the LCSP, with no possibility of tacit extension, although it may be extended by express agreement of both parties. Direction, planning, and supervision will correspond to the Department, while the company acts with organizational autonomy.

Any revenue from ticket sales will be collected and accounted for by AMGEVICESA separately and will reduce the necessary public contribution, with the obligation to ensure the traceability of income and expenses and to avoid any overcompensation or double funding. The decree emphasizes that it does not approve or implement prices or tariffs for users: the tariff regime will be approved through a specific administrative file, and marketing agreements with tourist entities involving remuneration to third parties will be processed separately.

Publicity in the contractor profile and means of appeal

As the estimated annual amount rises to 69,350.00 euros, the formalization document must be published in the contractor profile according to article 63.6 of the LCSP, and information regarding the assignment will be disseminated at least quarterly, in addition to being sent to the Court of Auditors when required and complying with Law 19/2013, of December 9, on transparency. Legal transactions with third parties shall be subject to article 32.7 of the LCSP and may not involve the global transfer of management.

Against the resolution, which exhausts the administrative route, an optional appeal for reversal may be filed before the same body within one month, or a contentious-administrative appeal may be filed before the Contentious-Administrative Court of Ceuta within two months.

The decision is of interest to the tourism sector and taxpayers because it positions the municipal company as the direct operator of a city promotion service, with a fixed annual public cost and ticket sales intended to reduce the municipal contribution. The decree does, however, leave two key elements for measuring the result open: the tariff regime and the actual revenue collection, which will be approved and settled in subsequent proceedings.

Source: Official Gazette of the Autonomous City of Ceuta (BOCCE), No. 6,662, October 20, 2026, Section I, pp. 3653-3655 (official reference: 700).