Transport prices 2026: here are the prices, discounts and new passes

BarcelonaAfter many weeks of political debate and uncertainty, the Spanish and Catalan governments have stepped on the gas and, in less than 24 hours, have defined and announced next year's transport fares and ticket types. Now, with these new changes, understanding the vast array of options, prices, and discounts is no easy task, and users will have to carefully consider which ticket offers the best value starting next year. We break down all the changes and announcements made in the last few hours in four sections:

This was one of the big unknowns that remained to be revealed, and the Metropolitan Transport Authority (ATM) solved it this afternoon: transport prices will rise again this January, but—and this is an unprecedented change—not equally everywhere, as is the case with the CPI. This time it will be done following a "territorial balance," meaning that in some places they will rise more and in others less.

The Minister of Territory and spokesperson for the Government, Sílvia Paneque, had already hinted at this in the morning. The Government (which holds a 51% stake in the ATM consortium) plans to update fares by an average of 3.5%. The increase will be slightly higher in zones 1 and 2—closer to the metropolitan area—while those further away, which already have higher prices, will see a smaller increase.

In the afternoon, the ATM decided not to wait to ratify the decision at the extraordinary council meeting on Friday and announced how the prices will finally be set.

Thus, the T-Usual – the most widely used ticket, which allows unlimited travel for a month – increases from €22 to €22.80, a 3.64% rise. The price increases by around one euro for all kroner denominations. The T-Casual – the card for less frequent travelers, which replaced the T-10 – will increase from €12.55 to €13 in Zone 1, with the price also rising depending on the zone. The T-Jove, the three-month pass for those under 30, increases from €44 to €45.50: an increase of one and a half euros, which, in this case, remains the same for all kroner denominations.

The most significant increase is for the single ticket, which rises by more than 9%, from €2.65 to €2.90. According to the ATM (Catalan Transport Authority), the fare increase is "necessary" to "guarantee the continuity, quality, and coverage of the service in a context of a generalized increase in the operating costs of the public transport system." This new, "non-linear" fare structure, based on zones, is a demand that user platforms have been making for years. The Association for the Promotion of Public Transport (PTP), for example, applauds the decision and believes it prevents those who pay the most (those in the more distant areas) from seeing their fares increase even further. However, they point out that Spain and Catalonia are still far from having a progressive fare model like those in other countries such as Germany.

One cold and one hot. Although prices are rising in line with the CPI, the discounts and rebates remain. Early Tuesday morning, the Catalan Government and the Comuns party reached an agreement to safeguard these subsidies. Thus, the discounts—which have been in place since 2022 to offset the price increases caused by the war in Ukraine—will continue and will be especially easing for younger users and those who use public transport more frequently. With this agreement, the price of the T-Jove (Youth Card) and the T-Usual (Usual Card) will continue to be subsidized by 50% (half price) in all areas of Catalonia. Albiach indicated that, "in principle," the Catalan Government and the Spanish State will cover the subsidy at 30% and 20%, respectively, as has been the practice until now. The ATM (Catalan Transport Authority) has also ratified these discounts, although it notes that they are contingent upon the Spanish government's final approval of its financial contribution. Negotiations on this issue had intensified in recent weeks. In fact, this has been one of the demands of Albiach's group in order to negotiate future budgets. But the debate has not been easy because maintaining these discounts will, for another year, represent a "significant budgetary effort for the administrations that make up the ATM," with an additional cost exceeding 110 million euros, assumed jointly, as this entity admits. From Madrid, the Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, also confirmed in a morning interview on TVE that the current mobility discounts will be extended, despite the creation of the new single state pass and regardless of the price update.

Apart from price changes and discounts, yesterday Spanish President Pedro Sánchez included another factor in the equation: one new single monthly pass for traveling on state public transport unlimited travel for one month and will cost 60 euros per month (30 euros for those under 26).

The arrival of this new ticket generated many questions, which the Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, addressed this Tuesday morning. Puente explained that this ticket does not cancel any existing ones and, therefore, will be compatible, for example, with the flat rate of 20 euros on Cercanías (commuter rail)which was launched last July. Users will be able to choose. "This is an additional product to those that already exist," the minister explained. "The Cercanías (commuter rail) season ticket will continue to exist at the current prices. The single ticket, the single pass, is an additional product that allows combining different modes of transport," the minister clarified. Puente also detailed that this new ticket will be launched on January 19th and will serve to combine Cercanías, medium-distance trains, and state buses. Thus, people who frequently make longer journeys will have to consider whether the T-Usual (route 6) (which costs €62.55) or the new Sánchez pass, at €60, is more cost-effective. Those who only use Cercanías can continue with the flat rate of €20, but those who frequently transfer between modes of transport may also prefer the new ticket. On the other hand, in the metropolitan area, users of the T-Casual (which is not discounted and is one of those that will increase the most in price) will have to consider whether, given the trips they make or could make, they should switch to the T-Usual (which is discounted).