Óscar Puente announces a single public transport ticket in Spain by 2026

MADRID Jan. 9 () –

The Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Óscar Puente, has announced that among his department’s plans is to implement a single ticket for public transport in Spain starting in 2026.

In an event at the New Economy Forum, the minister announced that the second half of 2025 will be a transition year in terms of railway bonuses, with the aim of implementing a single ticket for all transport in 2026, although without give more details about it.

The objective is to replicate similar measures that are already active in other European countries, such as in Germany, where there is a monthly pass of 58 euros (Deutschlandticket) that allows the use of regional trains, buses, metro and trams throughout the country, but not at high speed.

Currently, thanks to the discounts financed by the Government and the autonomous communities, there are already subscriptions, such as in Madrid, where for 32.8 euros per month you can take all public transport within the region, including Renfe commuter trains, although not the medium distance and high speed. Without discount, this ticket costs 82 euros.

During the first half of 2024 these discounts will be maintained (generally 50%, although in Madrid it is 60%), but starting in July they will drop to 40%, at the same time there will be a single ticket of 20 euros per month for the entire the Renfe Cercanías network throughout Spain.

However, the Government’s intention is to eliminate the discounts, since they were created to cushion the effect of inflation after the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, which is why the second half of the year will be a transition towards that single ticket in 2026.

“The objective and challenge is to implement the single ticket in Spain, something that Germany has, with its advantages and disadvantages, which will allow us to learn. And I hope that in 2026 we will go to that measure that allows a better distribution of the resources, generate comfort for users, but above all begin to focus efforts on the quality of public transport,” he concluded.