In 2023, more than 40 long-distance bus lines will be free

Date:

The companies that previously gave the journey with a 50% discount will go to 100% and the Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management does not rule out the possibility of connecting more routes

More than 40 long-distance bus routes that are part of the state’s concession network will be free year-round. This was confirmed by the Minister of Transport, Raquel Sánchez, during an appearance in Congress, which is being added to the free Cercanías and Media Distancia trains for frequent travelers with the aim of reducing transport by private vehicle.

These lines have already been subsidized for 50% since September 1, a measure that will remain in force until January 31. The companies that could make use of this measure were those that already had passes and multi-trip tickets available for their passengers before the announcement. From Transport they explain to this newspaper that this condition will probably remain necessary for the 100% discount, but this point has not been confirmed. The president of Confebús, Rafael Barbadillo, even assures that the model can be changed to one more similar to that of the trains, and that frequent travelers can pay a deposit that will be returned to them if they make an average of four trips per month.

Now more companies can join the ministry, expanding the list of 42 current lines to the 79 that the entire national state network has. Some of the most requested lines that will be free in 2023 are the Madrid-Segovia, Madrid-Guadalajara, Teruel-Barcelona or Santander-Bilbao-Barcelona lines. On these lines you can now buy travel passes or tickets for 10, 20 or 30 journeys at 50%, but they will become free in just over a month.

Barbadillo thinks the measure is “very positive” because it “rebalances” the offer of free transportation and puts the bus on the same offer as the Media Distancia train. In addition, it is positive because it “encourages the use of public transport” in general, explains the president of Confebús.

The long-distance bus network has 4,088 stops in 2,400 cities across Spain. The total length of these lines is over 68,800 kilometers, with an average of almost 900 kilometers each, according to data from the Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management. Sánchez indicated that this measure will save more than 350 million liters of petrol and prevent the emission of one million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere next year.

This measure follows an agreement between the government and the PDeCAT as part of negotiations to support the approval of the state general budget (PGE), which will be voted on in Congress this Thursday.

Source: La Verdad

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Share post:

Subscribe

Popular

More like this
Related