The price of using state-owned services in Spain has been reduced by half in response to the rapidly rising cost of energy and inflation. Now the government has announced an additional 100 reduction. As of September, travelers can ride on trains operated by Renfe’s public railway network at no charge.
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced that multi-journey tickets for trains operated by the network’s public services Cercanías, Rodalies and Media Distance (equivalent to local and medium-distance journeys) will be free of charge from September 1 until the end of the year. The measure excludes single-journey tickets, or long-distance travels.
Saving money and environment
This new guideline among the operations of public transport promotes the maximum use of this kind of collective transportation to minimize necessary daily commutes using a safe, reliable, comfortable, efficient and economic mode of transportation, amid the increasingly strict situations that have arisen concerning international fuel prices.
The Renfe scheme was announced shortly after the Spanish government committed to a reduction of 50% on public transport fees for state-owned transport. In addition to Spain, Germany and Austria have also taken measures to reduce public transport costs. The German government launched a €9 ($9.50) unlimited monthly public transport ticket that can be used on local and regional transport across the country in late July 2019. The deal is scheduled to run until the end of August, when it will be replaced by a €10 ($10.50) discounted ticket that can only be used for local buses within each German state. In December 2021, Austria will introduce a heavily discounted “climate ticket” valid on all modes of public transport in the country, with the aim of encouraging people to leave their cars at home. Klimaticket costs just $1,267 (€1,095) a year, which works out to around $3.50 a day.