The measure had actually been in effect since September 1, although the discount on some routes was limited to 50% of the price.
The long-distance buses that are part of the state concession network will be free all year 2023. This was confirmed on Tuesday by the Minister of Transport, Mobility and the Urban Agenda, Raquel Sánchez, during an appearance in the Congress of Deputies.
This is a measure that is already in effect from September 1 to December 31, but is currently limited to a 50% discount on the price of tickets for some bus lines for frequent travelers.
The measure is aimed at companies that operate this type of state bus lines throughout Spain and that had subscriptions and multi-trip cards before the measure entered into force.
For example, returning users of lines such as those between Madrid and Segovia, Guadalajara and Madrid, Teruel and Barcelona, Zaragoza and Castellón de la Plana, Jaén and Madrid, Gijón and León, Irún and Tui or Logroño and Soria, you can pass or buy tickets for 10, 20 or 30 journeys to currently travel at 50%, a bonus now moving to 100%.
The free buses have been agreed by the government with the PDeCAT as part of the negotiations to support the approval of the state general budgets (PGE), which will be voted on this Thursday in the Congress of Deputies.
According to data from the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, at the beginning of 2022, the network had a total of 4,088 stops distributed among 2,399 cities belonging to 1,837 municipalities of the national geography. The total length of the lines is 68,861 kilometers, with an average of 894.3 kilometers per concession.
This new measure complements the one already announced for the Cercanías and Media Distancia trains, which will also be free next year for frequent travelers, with the advance payment of a deposit of 20 euros, which will be refunded if the subscription is used .
Regarding this rail measure, Sánchez said it will save more than 350 million liters of gasoline and prevent the emission of one million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere by 2023. The ministry estimates that a family of four would save between €1,800 and €3,000 on average.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
