Spain: Free public transport from September
Following in the footsteps of Austria and Germany, Spain is planning to increasingly relieve its citizens of higher public transport fares. In doing so, the government is calling for increased use of collective mobility services for the sake of the environment.
A few weeks ago, Spain had committed itself to halving the charges for state-owned public transport. Now the government wants an even stronger reaction to the rapidly rising energy and inflation rates and announces further 100% discounts. Thanks to the so-called Renfe programme, passengers will be able to travel for free on various routes of the public train network between September and December.
Included in the free offer, however, are only multi-journey tickets that are valid for at least 10 return journeys. As many Spanish media reported, single tickets and long-distance journeys were initially excluded from the measure. Commuters in particular will therefore be happy about the measure. But also all those who decide to leave their car at least several times a week will benefit from the Renfe programme. In order to benefit from the government initiative, it is sufficient to buy a multi-route ticket from the public transport companies Cercanías, Rodalies and Media Distance.
At most, the programme aims to promote the use of collective public transport. The goal is precisely - explains the Spanish Ministry of Transport - "to guarantee the necessary daily commute with a safe, reliable, comfortable, economical and sustainable means of transport". So the effects will not only be felt by the citizens. Should more and more Spaniards decide to travel by train more often, not only will their wallets be saved, but also the environment.
More and more European countries have recently adopted similar measures. This is based on the interest of politicians to offer citizens affordable forms of mobility that are also environmentally friendly. Germany and Austria in particular have attracted a lot of attention. While Germany has only introduced a temporary measure over the summer months with the so-called 9-Euro-Ticket, the Austrian "Klimaticket" is instead an annual ticket at a reduced price.
However, both initiatives have made rail and public transport more attractive and encouraged more and more people to leave their cars at home. Similar effects were now expected by the Spanish government as other countries continue to observe the measure with interest. Will super fares for the public transport network soon be offered elsewhere in Europe?