The Cercanías remain at 17% of pre-pandemic numbers, but the Media Distancia trains added more passengers in 2022 than before the covid due to free passes
The government’s main measure to reduce workers’ spending with the rise in prices due to the crisis in Ukraine was the reduction of public transport, which started last April and will last through 2023 through free passes for returning commuters on Cercanías and Media Distancia trains, as well as discounts on bus and metro transportation. These bonuses have seen a boost in their use in 2022 compared to 2021 figures, but they are still 16% below pre-pandemic levels.
Specifically, the INE data published this Friday indicates that there were 4,370 million public transport passengers registered throughout 2022, 29% more than the 3,386 million in 2021 but still 16.6% less than the 5,081 million who used these means in 2019, before the covid promoted private transport for fear of contagion.
As for urban public transport, which divides the metro and the bus, both are still below the 2019 figures, although in the case of the metro this is almost equal to 1,111 million users in 2022 compared to 1,275 million in 2019. even more passengers are yet to be recovered from the bus, up from 1.526 million last year compared to 1.831 million before the pandemic.
The autonomous communities are the ones who have the powers of the metro and city buses, but with the decision of the central government to support with 30% of the costs those who increase the subsidy of the tickets to 50%, it is possible to reduce prices and increase the number of travelers compared to the 2021 figures.
But where the reduction in transport prices has been most apparent is on the Cercanías trains and especially on the Media Distancia trains, whose tickets are free for frequent passengers if a deposit of 10 or 20 euros is deposited. In 2022, a total of 486 million users traveled on the Cercanías trains, still 17% below the 2019 figures but 31% above those of 2021. The surprise comes from Media Distancia, which is already adding more users than before the pandemic .
In concrete terms, the users of these trains (formerly known as Regionales) were 33.8 million in 2022, 70% more than in 2021 and even 1.7% higher than in 2019, when 33.2 million people.
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.
