Concern among Getxo residents is escalating due to the continuous breakdowns of the Ereaga elevator. Although the Getxo City Council defends a 95% availability and attributes the interruptions to safety mechanisms, users perceive a clear lack of reliability in this vital infrastructure.

In the initial months of this year, the elevator has suffered at least five official stoppages, in addition to short closures without municipal communication. The most recent incident occurred last Tuesday, when it remained inoperative for nearly eight hours. A more alarming event took place last month, when six people were trapped inside the cabin for twenty minutes, eventually freed by technicians and the Municipal Police without personal injuries.

Residents criticize the lack of information and the inefficiency of the installation. Laura Ugarte, a resident living near the elevator, summarizes the general sentiment by stating that “that it's closed is no longer news,” primarily affecting the elderly and visitors by limiting the connection between the beach area and María Cristina Square.

Since its inauguration in 2005, under the mandate of Mayor Iñaki Zarraoa, the elevator has been plagued by recurrent technical incidents. The City Council explains that many of these outages are due to the system's own safety mechanisms, which halt operation upon detecting anomalies. In the municipal plenary session in February, an additional credit of nearly four million euros was approved for investments, including improvements in the safety and accessibility of the Ereaga elevator, a measure that citizens deem necessary, though they demand greater speed in its execution.