From 22 to 24 September 2026, IFEMA MADRID hosted the 16th edition of FIAA, the International Bus and Coach Show, in halls 7 and 9. Pysae attended as a visitor to meet operators and suppliers and to see first-hand what is new in road passenger transport in Spain.
A growing edition
According to the organiser's closing figures, FIAA 2026 welcomed 10,859 trade visitors from 83 countries, with international attendance up 46%. The show gathered 110 exhibiting companies, 35 of them taking part for the first time, and 30% of exhibitors came from abroad, from 15 countries. The FIAA Forum also hosted sessions, debates and round tables on the future of collective mobility, as well as a Global Mobility Call workshop.
What we saw
FIAA is first and foremost a large vehicle show, and the 2026 edition was defined by electrification. New models on display included the eIntouro M, Daimler Buses' first electric intercity bus, Iveco Bus' Crossway Elec and Marcopolo's Paradiso G8, its first fully electric vehicle for the European market.
Beyond vehicles, the show brought together many equipment suppliers: safety systems, stop request buttons, powertrain components and interior fittings. On the digital side, around ten Spanish solutions were present, mainly focused on onboard telematics and ticketing.
What it means for operators in Spain
The show confirmed several trends that already affect day-to-day operations:
- Electrification requires real-time supervision. An electric bus is not managed like a diesel one: range, charging cycles and actual fleet availability must be monitored live to avoid gaps in service.
- AVM is no longer optional. Spain's new state concession map requires operators to run an AVM with real-time passenger information. We covered the details in Spain's regional transit modernization in 2026.
- Open data is gaining weight. Publishing static and real-time data is becoming a tender requirement, even though the format is not yet harmonised nationally. See the real-time data standard each European country requires.
The digital offer at the show remains largely focused on telematics and ticketing. Platforms that bring together operations, planning and passenger information still have plenty of room to grow in the Spanish market.
Thank you
Thank you to IFEMA MADRID and the FIAA 2026 Organising Committee for this edition, to the operators, manufacturers and bodybuilders we had the chance to talk with, and to all the exhibitors who presented their solutions to us.
The next edition of FIAA is planned for 2028. In the meantime, Pysae will exhibit at Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona, from 3 to 5 November 2026.
Do you run a bus network in Spain and want to prepare for the new concession map? The Pysae team can show you how our AVM fits your operations.