A Spanish single ticket is expected to become operational from 2026 covering the entire public transport systems across the country, the Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Oscar Puente, has announced.
For this project, the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility (Mitma) awarded Ineco a contract worth EUR 950,000 to carry out technical work to define and implement the concept which will promote more sustainable, safe and accessible mobility.
Ineco’s work will include defining a price for the single ticket in Spain, taking into account both its competitiveness and the added value that this system will offer.
The project will allow citizens to travel throughout the country using any public transport for a single price during a certain period of time. The single ticket will include urban, metropolitan and state public services. It will also cover the public bicycle systems and work is being done to incorporate shared mobility services in the future.
This Spain’s single ticket system will not include commercial railway services in the first phase.
It is expected that the system will be operational from 2026 and will work throughout the country, and will include urban, metropolitan and state services. Spain has multiple regional transport systems, and a single ticket could also aim to simplify travel across regions.
The definition of the single ticket includes its implementation in the operational, legal and technological fields and will allow the voluntary incorporation of the largest number of public transport services to improve access and promote people’s right to mobility.
First of all, a collaborative formula is sought for the offer of tickets available to the transport authorities of Spain, accelerating the integration of transport networks and systems to improve people’s mobility and make it more sustainable. Thus, for its implementation, the participation of regional and local administrations will be encouraged, with the aim of promoting their involvement in this project of territorial cohesion and promotion of public transport.
During 2024, the Mitma has been working on a technological solution that allows the interoperable use of different travel tickets on different operators, regardless of the ticketing systems they have. A technological standard will be developed based on this solution for all operators participating in the single ticket programme and is currently in the testing phase in a pilot with different operators throughout the country, both urban, metropolitan and state-wide.
Spanish single ticket is part of the programme to promote sustainable mobility, and particularly public transport, which is being developed by the General Secretariat for Sustainable Mobility. It also responds to the Miitmas global strategy to address the mobility challenges of the present and the future through sustainability, digitalisation and social and territorial cohesion and, in addition to highlighting mobility as a right for all.
To develop the concept of the single ticket system, Mitma has been analised the similar initiatives in countries such as Germany, which is already used by 17 million people.
Subsidies to support Spanish single ticket rollout
Spain’s authorities are continuing the delivery of subsidies to significantly reduce travel prices for public transport including for public bicycle systems. This will enable the introduction of the single ticket throughout the country.
The Government of Spain will allocate around EUR 1.6 billion to finance all approved bonuses, including those it plans to implement from 1 July to evolve and promote a bonus system that has a greater impact on modal choice.
The reactivated bonus scheme allows the transition period to be resumed in the aid schemes to give a definitive boost to public transport in daily mobility, deepening the use of more sustainable alternatives that contribute to reducing the use of private vehicles, dependence on fossil fuels and, therefore, polluting emissions.
The future system, which will come into force on 1 July 2025, includes the creation of a single commuter train ticket for all areas and towns in Spain for 20 euros per month, free public transport for children under 15, special discounts for young people, reduced rates for other regular users and new aid to promote the use of bicycles as a means of daily transport.
Regarding the Renfe single ticket or season ticket for Cercanías, which can be used for all areas of each centre and in the rest of the Cercanías centres throughout Spain, there are three modalities depending on age: the prices are EUR 20 per month, EUR 10 for young people and for children the ticket is free for an entire year.
Conventional medium-distance season tickets will have discounts of 40% and will be free for children. For young people between 15 and 26 years old, the discount rises to 50%. Avant season tickets will maintain a 50% discount until the end of the year.
As for urban and metropolitan transport owned by the autonomous communities and local authorities, the Ministry of Transport will finance free travel for children under 15 years of age and a 50% discount for youth season tickets. The rest of the tickets, except for tourist tickets, single tickets and round-trip tickets, will be offered a discount of at least 40%, which must be co-financed at 20%. In turn, within the framework of this Royal Decree-Law, work is being done on a series of aids to increase the offer and improve the quality of public transport, with new lines or more frequencies, and to facilitate the purchase of electric bicycles for individuals and delivery companies.
Part of its mission to continue to promote sustainable, healthy and accessible mobility, Mitma is now activating the sale of state-owned train and bus passes with up to 100% discount from January 30, 2025, thanks to the discounts the Government has once again authorised for multi-trip passes and tickets.
As the Royal Decree Law approved on January 28 by the Council of Ministers entered into force on 30 January, Renfe made available to users free Cercanías (commuter services), Rodalies (regional services), conventional medium distance and Avant (mid-distance high-speed) passes with discounts of up to 50%. The sale of free tickets for state bus lines is also reactivated.
Free services will remain in effect until June 30, 2025, with the exception of Cantabria and Asturias regions, where commuter and narrow-gauge services will be 100% subsidised all year round, as set out in the agreements signed in 2023. The high-performance services between Murcia and Alicante, and the Avant services between Ourense and A Coruña will continue to be free until June 30, 2025 ,as well as on the point-to-point Madrid – Salamanca routes. To use these services, a medium distance pass must be purchased. The Avant services with 50% discounts will continue until December 2025.
The approval of the royal decree-law also restores aid to autonomous communities and municipalities to reduce the price of public transport passes and multi-trip tickets for urban and metropolitan public transport by at least 50% during the first half of 2025, while the public bicycle rental systems resume the 50% discount on passes for the entire year. In both modes, regional and local governments must finance a discount of at least 20%, while the Government of Spain assumes 30%.
By providing discounts, passengers will be able to rely entirely on public transport services and in addition, when the single national ticket will become operational, Spain is taking another step ahead to shift road transport towards the public transport systems and will enhance multimodality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In 2019, GHG emissions from transport accounted for 29% of the total GHG emissions, with road transport contributing 93%, while rail transport accounted for only 0.3%.
To deliver the objectives to significantly cut transport emissions, Spain’s recovery and resilience plan, includes a EUR 6.5 billion investment for sustainable mobility in urban and metropolitan areas (under the Component 1) until 2026. If other financial resources are included, the investment could reach EUR 9.3 billion.
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