Transport prices: Comuns and Government agree to maintain discounts in Catalonia

BarcelonaDetails are gradually emerging about how transport prices will change starting in January. This comes after yesterday's announcement. Spanish President Pedro Sánchez will announce a new type of ticket —a single 60 euro banknote for the entire country— one of the main questions was whether this new banknote would be compatible with the current discounts and also with other payment methods such as the flat rate of 20 euros for Cercanías which was implemented this very year, 2025.

This morning, the Catalan government and the Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, addressed some of these concerns. On the one hand, the government of Salvador Illa and the Comuns party have reached an agreement to maintain transport discounts in Catalonia throughout 2026. The discounts, therefore, which have been in place since 2022 to offset the price increases caused by the war in Ukraine, will remain. This was announced by the president of the Comuns parliamentary group, Jéssica Albiach, at a press conference at the Palau de la Generalitat after meeting with the government spokesperson and Minister of Territory, Silvia Paneque.

With this agreement, the price of the T-Jove and T-Usual travel cards will continue to be subsidized by 50% in all areas of Catalonia. Albiach indicated that "in principle" the Generalitat (Catalan government) and the State will assume the discount at 30% and 20%, respectively, as has been the practice until now. The reduction will also be "compatible" with the pass announced on Monday by Sánchez. In recent weeks, due to the approaching end of the year, negotiations on this issue had intensified. In fact, this has been one of the demands of Albiach's group in order to negotiate future budgets. The Comuns (a left-wing coalition) also demanded that, in addition to maintaining the discounts, transport fares not be increased (due to inflation) from January 1st. However, this will not be resolved until the extraordinary meeting—as is done every year-end—of the board of the Metropolitan Transport Authority (ATM), which sets the prices. Madrid also confirms the extension of the discounts

From Madrid, Transport Minister Óscar Puente also confirmed the extension of reduced transport fares for next year. In an interview on TVE, he assured viewers that the current mobility discounts will be extended despite the creation of the new national travel pass. "This is an additional product to those that already exist," the minister explained. "The other discounts remain unchanged," he insisted. Puente also explained that the new system—which consists of a monthly pass for 60 euros, or 30 euros for young people under 26, with unlimited travel—will be launched on January 19 and will be valid for combining commuter trains, regional trains, and national buses. In response to doubts about whether this ticket would replace the €20 flat rate for Cercanías commuter rail, the minister was also clear: "The Cercanías season ticket will continue to exist at current prices. The single ticket, the single pass, is an additional product that allows combining different modes of transport," he clarified. In practice, this means that users will have to calculate and plan which ticket is most cost-effective to buy based on the route, the transport they use, and the price that best suits their needs.