The measure will take effect next Wednesday and also includes a specific title for minors without ID
For weeks, Renfe has been analyzing how to deal with the problem of ‘ghost reservations’ following the complaint of many users who complained that the carriages were empty while others could not purchase a seat because they were all reserved. And the decision is to withdraw the free medium-distance season ticket and confiscate the 20 euros deposit of medium-distance rail passengers who make reservations at least three times and then do not travel.
The measure, which was published in the Government Gazette (BOE) on Monday, will come into force on Wednesday 7 December and aims to put an end to fraud of up to 10% of the reservations -according to calculations by Renfe- that are produced, given the possibility to every occasion can be booked for free with the subscription.
Still, the rule only means that the pass will be revoked from the line where irregular use has been found, but Renfe will not issue a new pass to that traveler for any destination within a 30-day period of cancellation. Of course, before withdrawing the season ticket and deposit, the railway operator will send two messages to the holder if he finds that he has not taken any of the Media Distancia (formerly Regional) trains reserved by him.
Other new features include the limit to four daily round trips for each traveler and the inability to purchase two trips in the same direction until three times the scheduled travel time has passed. All with the aim that passengers do not book multiple routes and then take only one or none at all. Now the user will have to have canceled the reservation of the seat at least two hours in advance if they are not going to take that train and do not want to be penalized.
There will also be a specific subscription for minors without DNI, although this measure will come into effect on January 1, coinciding with the activation of the renewal of public transport discounts.
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.
