On 13 March 2025, the Spanish Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility announced the allocation of €878 million to reduce the cost of local and metropolitan public transport for frequent commuters throughout 2025. This initiative aims to promote more sustainable and safer mobility alternatives.
The funds include €355 million for a new discount system for local and regional public transport from 1 July to 31 December 2025, €183 million for year-round free public land transport in the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands, and €10 million to reduce the cost of public bike-sharing services. Applications for this aid are open until 30 April 2025 and are available to local authorities and autonomous communities.
In addition to these new funds, €330 million has been allocated to finance discounts of at least 50% on urban and metropolitan public transport passes and multi-trip tickets during the first half of 2025. These discounts extend the scheme applied in previous years. Autonomous communities and local authorities must finance 20% of the discount, while the Ministry covers the remaining 30%. These measures have already led to a 33% increase in public transport trips in 2024 compared to 2022.
The new aid scheme includes various discounts to encourage the use of sustainable daily mobility alternatives, such as free admission for children up to 14 years old, a 50% reduction for youth passes, and at least a 40% reduction for other season tickets and multi-trip passes. The Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands will continue to benefit from free public transport throughout 2025, recognising their unique island status. Autonomous communities and local authorities must meet specific requirements to qualify for the aid, including implementing a fare system for multi-trip tickets and season tickets and establishing Low Emission Zones (LEZ) where required.
Author: Carla Giaume
Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and do not reflect those of the European Commission.
