Having already halved the cost of public transport nationwide, slashed VAT and cut tax on fuel, the Spanish government has now made a huge number of short- and medium-distance train journeys totally free – for regular passengers, anyway.
People Also Ask
The policy could be here to stay with commuters being encouraged to ditch their cars in favour of taking the train. Spain has just extended its free train travel scheme through to December 2023. Earlier this year, free train tickets were introduced for short and medium-distance journeys.
The initiative, which launched last September and was supposed to end this spring, has successfully been extended to December 2023, The Points Guy reports. Thanks to the program, commuter trains and mid-distance regional lines will no longer have fares. The qualifying trains are operated by the national company Renfe.
In Spain, public transport by bus is operated locally, which means that bus fares vary from city to city. In general, a single ticket costs around €1.40 to €1.60, though some cities (such as Barcelona) charge over €2 for a ticket.
Use public transportation, but skip the tourist ticketPublic transportation in Spain is affordable, clean and as relatively reliable as anywhere else in the world. Whenever possible, opt for the bus or metro over a cab, but think twice before you buy that unlimited multiday pass.
Travelling by busGetting the bus is one of the cheapest ways to get around Spain – although for long distances it is not always the most comfortable. It's also one of the easiest ways to access off-the-beaten-track destinations and rural areas where there are no train lines.
Typically there are three types of train ticket in Spain: Básico, Elige and Prémium. These different types of ticket offer different rates of flexibility. Básico is the cheapest type of ticket you can buy, for both Standard and First Class, with Prémium being the most expensive.
On 29 February 2020, Luxembourg became the first country in the world to make all public transport in the country (buses, trams, and trains) free to use.
Uber in Spain operates in exactly the same way that it does in every country. Therefore, if you already have the app downloaded and an active account – away you go. However, if you haven't used the platform yet you will need to download the app from your app store (find it for Android here and Apple here).