Six autonomous regions — Basque Country, La Rioja, Murcia, Navarra, Valenciana and Castilla y Leon — confirmed they will keep the 50% discount on regional transport, funded in part by the regional budgets, while four other regional administrations — Andalusia, Aragon, Extremadura and Cantabria — are evaluating how to participate. The Community of Madrid will maintain the 50% discount from January 1 and raise it to 60% starting February.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced on Tuesday that the anti-crisis decree approved by the Council of Ministers extends the 30% regional transport discount for the first half of 2023, but with a condition: the bonus becomes 50% only in communities that commit to covering half of the cost themselves.
Under this arrangement, the six regions mentioned above have already pledged to fund 20% of the regional transport subsidy from their own coffers. This means residents in those regions can enjoy a 50% discount during the first six months of the year.
Madrid’s government, led by Isabel Díaz Ayuso, has pushed the stance further. She announced that from February the 60% bonus will apply. Multi-trip passes will still carry a 30% reduction from the official price.
anti-crisis decree
This policy implies different financial commitments for each autonomous government. To participate in the latest anti-crisis decree, regions must shoulder 20% of the bonus, as approved by Pedro Sánchez’s administration.
In this context, the Basque Government has stated it will cover 10% of the public transport discount, projecting an investment of 12 million euros by June, with the remaining share expected to come from other operators.
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In Navarre, a final 50% reduction in intercity transport vouchers would cost roughly 300,000 euros for the provincial administration. The Generalitat Valenciana has announced implementation beginning in January, offering a 50% discount on season tickets and multi-trip passes for regional transport. The measure will enable the purchase of ten-trip vouchers for four euros in Valencia, Alicante and Castellón.
Reprogramming in 2023 budgets
Besides Madrid, two other regions led by the People’s Party, Castilla y León and Murcia, say they will apply the measure in their own territories. Andalusia, another PP region, is weighing whether to adopt the discount, noting that extending the 30% regional transport discount would require adjustments to the 2023 budget approved last week.
Other regions, led by Socialist governors, Aragon and Extremadura, are also considering whether to apply the reduction. Cantabria has indicated a cautious view on the decree, presenting it as a measure carried out with good faith. In the islands, the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands, the decree’s island-specific provisions aim to make public ground transport free for regular users next year.
[Source: Government communications and regional press briefings; official statements and budget analyses provide the basis for the figures above.]