Spain has the most expensive bus tickets in Europe

We Spaniards pay the most expensive bus tickets in the large countries of the European Union (EU), such as Germany, France, Italy, Portugal or the United Kingdom, to give some examples. A casuistry directly related to the situation of the sector, which is not liberalized in our country, as is the case in the aforementioned countries.

This is one of the reasons, according to sources consulted by this newspaper, why prices are not as attractive as in other latitudes. A challenge that the Ministry of Transport, with Oscar Puente front, will have to address in this legislature, especially after the liberalization of trains in 2019, something that has greatly reduced the price of tickets, especially on large routes, such as the one that connects Madrid and Barcelona.

“The 6.8 euro cents per km that the Spanish bus user pays They are 88 percent above France's 3.6 or Italy, 41 percent that of the price of Portugal, 36 percent that of Germany or 28 percent that of the United Kingdom. These differences are also observed if we compare the lowest prices available on each route. In the British market, the greatest relative difference between the average and the minimum price is observed, which is an indicator of a greater intensity of competition between operators in said market,” explains chapter XIV of the book.Reforms to boost competition in Spain', launched in April of last year from the analysis center, Funcas, in collaboration with the National Commission of Markets and Competition (CNMC), in which proposals are put on the table to win integers in terms of Competition in our country.

A bus trip between Madrid and Cartagena costs 52 euros. Traveling from Paris to Lyon costs 38 euros, while traveling between Berlin and Munich amounts to 34 euros. They are similar destinations on the same dates with round trip prices

A position that is far from that held by Alsa, the largest private operator between cities in Spain. It has a fleet of more than 5,931 buses and moved a total of 527 million passengers in 2022.

From Bus They generally consider that the liberalization of long-distance transport is not sustainable because companies in the sector would concentrate where there is demand, forcing the Government to intervene to cover the least profitable routeswhich would be discarded by the operators (mainly the emptied Spain).

The text, however, emphasizes that “the examination of international experience on liberalized surface passenger transport markets allows us to conclude that competition for the market, in general, translates into lower prices and a service better adapted to demand. The few academic studies that exist on the subject suggest that competition in the market is feasible and, in certain circumstances, may be the best solution”, but he partially aligns with Alsa by pointing out that “the intense concentration process observed in all countriesas well as the possible control of essential assets, such as stations or workshops, by some operator can negatively affect competition, resulting in higher prices and/or lower quality of service.”

Opposite Alsa is the German company Flixbus, a corporation that offers long-distance trips. She is very interested in the Spanish market opens to expand borders and provide a more capillary service within our country. Its objective is for buses to be able to make stops in different locations when making long journeys between countries (so-called cabotage).

Bus prices on similar routes

The costs of buses on similar routes in different countries highlight the current price difference between Spain and the majors in Europe, or those with which we can compare ourselves.

According to the Movalia price comparator, a bus trip between Madrid and Cartagena has a cost of 52 euros. If we see what happens when moving from Paris to Lyon -the same round trip dates have been taken on routes with similar kilometers- the price is 38 euros. Travel between Berlin and Munich It amounts to 34 euros.

The reference has always been cheaper price both round trip. The result is that the cost in the case of Spain is significantly higher.