Manuel Valdés: "The bonuses are causing a very high level of saturation of public transport"

BarcelonaIt's only been a year since he was appointed director of the Autoritat del Transport Metropolità. Before that, Manuel Valdés - an engineer by training - had spent 17 years at Barcelona City Hall, where he promoted the new bus network, the low-emission zone, the superblocks and the tram along the Diagonal. All this experience, he says, has helped him to delve into the "engine room" that is the ATM: "In the morning I want to see the message that everything is working normally."

Let's start with what affects the pocketbook. In December they decided to raise public transport fares by 3%.

— We have updated them. This is important because for a long time we have been saying "rates are frozen" or "they are raised." And what we have really done is update them according to the CPI.

Okay, they have raised them by 3%, but at the same time the State has maintained its reductions. How does this fit together?

— I think there has been a real desire to see if these bonuses could be lowered. They have helped the system to recover after Covid, but now what is happening is that the price is so low that it has boosted usage but not users. Surveys tell us that the indicator for switching to public transport is not the price, but the quality of the trip, the comfort and the guarantee that you can get there with a certain frequency and regularity. And the bonuses are not being used for this now.

Since they began in 2022, the ATM has been critical of how these reductions have been made.

— They are very flat. They benefit everyone and to a very high extent. Last year, 224 million euros of the system's income came not from what users pay but from the administration, as a bonus. Although the initial objective was good, the reality now is that they are causing a level of saturation of public transport which is very high at peak times.

Is there too much demand?

— They have implied a much higher use and now it is necessary to put more rolling stock to promote new lines or more frequencies, which could be done, but we do not have money. It is like a contradiction. I think that the State has visualized this need but, evidently, all this requires political negotiation. Now the danger is that you begin to perceive a quality of public transport inferior to what you had. Currently, everyone is aware that if we want to put money into something that is efficient, what is needed is not to continue lowering the price, but to have contributions that allow for a higher quality of travel, regularity... to satisfy what the user really expects.

Is Renfe's free-of-charge service a disadvantage compared to other operators?

— Yes. There are many people who, with two transport options in parallel, choose the free one. It is common sense. Renfe's free service has attracted bus trips, however, the bus lines have not suffered because their overall demand has continued to increase significantly.

Do you think that the transfer of Cercanías to the Generalitat can improve the quality of the current railway system?

— I think it can improve, yes. Especially since it is now in the spotlight and everyone is doing everything they can to improve it.

The concession for intercity bus lines ends in 2028. How do you plan this change?

— The Generalitat is leading this process and, therefore, they are the ones who hold the keys. These are contracts from many years ago, whose conditions are already very outdated because they have been extended for 25 years. More current conditions are needed, because today's transport has nothing to do with that of years ago.

We are talking about the financing of the ATM. The framework agreement is already 10 years old and is being extended year after year. Should it be updated?

— Yes, it is important that instead of ratifying year after year we could be a little ahead. The fact that contributions have a multi-year commitment offers operators a guarantee of income and allows them to organise their work with a horizon of several years. We are looking for a way to do it; it is a fundamental task.

What card do you use when you use public transport?

— I carry the T-Mobilitat, the plastic card, in my mobile phone case. I haven't installed it on my phone yet because it's a private card. But I'm a champion of digitalisation and I think we've taken a big step forward. It's the premise of a new era.

Since Wednesday we can now take more than one ticket to T-Mobilitat. But when will we start paying per kilometre travelled and not per zone?

— It is one thing to provide tools that facilitate access to public transport and another to design the fares of the future. We are evaluating what is the best way; if it should be per kilometre, with flat rates, doing a mix... This is still being worked on and is not part of the most immediate objectives. Among other things, because we also have to see how the State's proposal to create a single Spanish ticket ends up shaping up.

You had even opened the door to variable rates based on peak hours or off-peak hours.

— The advanced technological system we have now allows for many options. But very clear guidelines are needed and changes must be introduced to know where one enters and where one exits the transport, how tickets are distributed if we change operators...

If, as you say, a per-kilometre tariff system is not an immediate objective, what is the ATM's current priority?

— There is a basic one: that when you leave each day everything works as well as possible and, if something happens, it is resolved as soon as possible. Secondly, to contribute to the general proposal that people are fully informed. We also want to implement new functionalities in T-Mobilitat. We want all of Catalonia to be integrated in terms of fares this year and, looking ahead to next year, the objective is for the entire territory to be integrated technologically, that is, with T-Mobilitat. We are also working to integrate Cercanías technologically and in terms of fares when it is time. And, economically, we are looking to satisfy the needs we have in order to offer new services.

And what is the relationship with the dealership like now? There was a lot of tension in the past.

— I think there should always be tension. We cannot ease tension because that would mean we are giving in. I think the current relationship is correct.

We are talking about specific projects. Line 9, the extension of Line 8, Line 4... How do you see these infrastructures in progress?

— Each one is different. The L9, which we have been working on finishing for a lifetime, is already in the final stages. The demand it will cover will be very high and, therefore, it must be geared up so that it can come into service as soon as possible. It is very necessary because its route is currently being made by the H6 bus, which is the one that carries the most passengers in all of Barcelona, ​​​​and the conditions of travel along the Travessera de Dalt are not the best.

What about L8?

— It will function as a metro, despite being run by FGC. Now it involves significant traffic cuts, but it is also a very necessary work. We have not seen infrastructure works in Barcelona for a long time, but I remember that a few years ago there were up to seven tunnel boring machines boring holes in the city! A tunnel boring machine, in fact, is good news. I also strongly advocate the extension of L4 because it is a short section but it will connect with La Sagrera - Meridiana, which is the largest interchange in the north of Barcelona.

And what do you think about the zigzag that the tram will make along the Diagonal, a project that you know well from your time at the City Council?

— Things are not done just because, and this zigzag has a fairly obvious reason. The design established that the tram line would be on the sea side of Plaça de les Glòries and the way the layout was now created two major problems. The first was that double-track trams could not be installed because, when they stopped at the traffic light, they would be left crossing the street because they are too long. And the second was that the crossing was too complex, with five traffic light phases. If we had still had the blank sheet of paper, perhaps it would be different? Perhaps. The layout is not the best but it is the best possible operation.