Free travel on public transport – Cercanías and Media Distancia – could come to an end, according to statements by Transport Minister Óscar Puente.
The position of the portfolio holder is not new since last year he warned after a new extension that the aid had been used to “recover users in the post-pandemic era” but the time of its end would come.
That moment now seems closer than ever. “I can anticipate that My position, of course, is that this policy needs to change“, he expressed this Tuesday. However, everything is also framed in the “budgetary negotiations and decisions of the Spanish government”.
Puente was specifically referring to the free Cercanías and Media Distancia trains, but it is also unclear what will happen with the bonus to public transport, where some communities like Madrid supplement government aid. As for whether these phenomena will continue or not, the government remains silent so far.
What will happen to public transport in the Community of Madrid?
In one of the latest extensions for the reduction of transport tickets, the Executive has committed to contributing 30% of the funds provided that the communities complete the measure. In the case of the Community of Madrid, to the 30% from the State, an additional 30% from the regional government was added, leaving the rates currently reduced by 60%.
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Zone A Pass: 21.80 euros
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Zone B1 Pass: 25.40 euros
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Zone B2 Pass: 28.80 euros
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Zone B3 Pass: 32.80 euros
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Zone C1 subscription: 32.80 euros
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Zone C2 subscription: 32.80 euros
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Zone E1 subscription: 44.20 euros
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Zone E2 subscription: 52.70 euros
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Youth Pass (up to 26 years old) all zones: 8 euros
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10-trip pass (Zone A, EMT, ML1): 6.10 euros
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Pass for 10 journeys with ML2 and ML3: 9.10 euros
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Retired subscription: free
It must be taken into account that the Cercanías network and the metro and buses are not managed by the same organizations. The Ministry of Transport owns the Cercanías network through two companies: Renfe Cercanías and Adif.
The network of The Madrid Metro depends directly on the Community of Madrid and Madrid City Hall does the same with urban buses.
For the moment, the aid – one or the other – is valid until December 31, 2024. In this way, we must wait to see what the central government decides and the response of the autonomous communities if the decision were to put an end to them all. In the case of the end of free Cercanías trains would take place throughout the network in Spain because the decision depends on the government.
In the case of other transport such as Metro, the Community of Madrid should speak out on the question of whether, if he did not hold 30% of the executive, he would maintain some form of tariff reduction.
