Date Published: 13/03/2025

Spain will only offer travel discounts in cities that have Low Emission Zones

From July, only cities and towns with more than 50,000 residents will be eligible for Spain’s public transport subsidies

The Spanish government has come up with a somewhat ingenious way of easing the cost of living burden while pushing the local authorities to be more environmentally aware. It’s just been announced that from July, discounted public transport will only be offered in cities and towns where the Low Emission Zones (ZBEs) have been fully implemented.

At the moment, urban bus and rail travel is still heavily subsidised by the government but the Ministry of Transport has already confirmed that the system will be changing in July to focus more on helping vulnerable travellers rather than the general population.

But in a big twist, the Ministry has decided to use this upcoming shift as an opportunity to encourage municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants to finally implement their ZBEs. Towns that fail to activate Low Emission Zones this year will lose out on the state subsidy, which reduces the cost of public transport for residents by between 20% and 50%.

According to official announcement, only cities that have properly implemented a low-emission zone or commit to having one by the end of 2025, will be eligible for state aid to reduce urban and intercity transport costs.

It will not be enough to have an ordinance that’s not enforced or to be in a trial period, with unmarked low emission areas or without fines, some of the shortcuts that city councils have been using for years.

The Ministry of Transport's terms state that, "for the implementation of the ZBE to be considered effective, it will be necessary to have current and applicable municipal regulations establishing the legal boundaries of the ZBE and its regulation, as well as measures prohibiting or restricting access, circulation and parking of vehicles, depending on the vehicles' potential pollution."

Low-emission zones must have "an access control, monitoring and tracking system, as well as an active sanctioning regime. Any warning system that may have been previously considered is excluded from this consideration," the Ministry adds.

Although municipalities received funding under the Climate Change Law to develop their Low Emission Zones, only 20 of the 150 required cities had implemented them by the first deadline in January 2023. Since then, there has been little progress.

New transport discount system starting in July

A new transport discount system will be introduced in Spain on July 1, replacing the current system that offers a 50% discount to all citizens. The new system will offer discounts based on age, with different rates for children, young people and adults. It will remain in place until the end of the year.

The new system will provide free travel passes for children under 14 and a 50% discount on youth passes and multi-trip tickets. The age range for youth passes will be determined by each regional government.

The Ministry of Transport will contribute a 20% discount on transport passes and multi-trip tickets, but only if the regional government or city council agrees to match this with an additional 20% discount. This means that users can enjoy a total discount of 40%.

However, there will be no discounts on single, return or tourist tickets.

The Ministry of Transport is also launching a separate initiative to support municipal bike-sharing services, such as BiciMad in Madrid or Bicing in Barcelona. The Ministry will provide €10 million in co-financing assistance to reduce the price of subscriptions and flat rates for these services.

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