The Spanish government announced on Tuesday that it would extend its free rail passes for regional and commuter trains until 2023, initially scheduled until the end of December, to continue supporting purchasing power in the face of rising prices.
This system, which came into force on September 1, “will be maintained next year”, announced the Budget Minister, María Jesús Montero, during a press conference, specifying that she had planned an allocation of “700 million” of euros for financing.
This will allow “significant savings for families”, which will continue to be protected “against inflation”, and will encourage the development of “sustainable mobility”, the ministry insisted in a statement.
According to Renfe, the Spanish railway company, 1.5 million people have obtained a free train pass since the operation was launched in early September.
1.5 million headlines
This figure shows that this device “works”, stressed the Minister of Transport, Raquel Sánchez, who said that she is aiming for a goal of two million free passes by the end of 2022.
This measure, which aims to encourage Spaniards to use public transport instead of the car, affects all commuter trains in large cities, such as Madrid, Seville or Barcelona, as well as medium-distance trains.
To benefit from this subscription, users must deposit a deposit of 10 or 20 euros, which they can then recover as long as they make a minimum of 16 trips at the end of December, Renfe specifies in a press release.
According to the Spanish railway company, 75 million trips will be free.
In June, the government had already reduced the price of metro, bus and tram tickets in Spain by 30%.
These are all measures that will be financed by the exceptional tax on the extraordinary benefits of the large energy companies announced last August. Enough to recover about “two billion euros” per year in 2023 and 2024, said the head of government.
Source: BFM TV
