With a system very similar to the one implemented for trains, free travel on some lines long distance buses from Spain is possible from this month of February. A decision that the Government already advanced last November but that has not been until now when it has started.
These long-distance buses, whose concession depends on the State, already had 50% of the price of the multi-trip pass subsidized. But as has happened with the trains in our country, since this month of February it is possible to travel on them completely free of charge.
With this measure, the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda specify that in 2022 the long-distance bus lines dependent on the State provided service to 2,399 towns spread over 1,837 municipalities throughout the country. In total there are available 4,088 stops.
How and where to travel for free by bus
The measure has been designed to counteract the rise in fuel that we have experienced throughout 2022 and the elimination of the 20 cent/liter subsidy that drivers had been enjoying. The procedure, as in the case of trains, seeks to encourage recurring trips.
To avoid picaresque, they are put up for sale multi-trip tickets with different bonds. For tickets that cost five euros, a deposit of 20 euros must be left. If the ticket cost from five to 13 euros, it will be necessary to pay a deposit of 35 euros. And the deposit increases up to 50 euros for bills from 13 to 35 euros and up to 65 euros for bills over 25 euros, according to the Spanish Confederation of Bus Transport (Confebus).
As is the case with trains, the tickets will be quarterly and it will be necessary to make a minimum of 16 trips every four months in order to recover the deposit. In this first term, from February to April 30, a minimum of 12 trips will be required. The measure will be in force until December 31, 2023.
To buy these tickets multi-trip, it will be necessary to “contact the transport company or the usual sales channel in order to obtain a unique code for the multi-trip ticket for the recurring route. Then, they must pay an amount as a deposit for the multi-trip ticket, which will be reimbursed if the established recurrence is reached”, they explain from Confebus.
In addition, a series of conditions To avoid abuse of these free multi-trip tickets:
• The title will be personal and non-transferable.
• For each period of validity, the acquisition of a single multi-trip ticket per person, and origin and destination will only be allowed.
• It will be impossible to formalize more than one round trip per day, unless it has previously been cancelled.
• It will be impossible to formalize trips in consecutive expeditions with a time less than three times the time of the outward journey. (If the trip lasts one hour and we travel at 10:00 a.m., we will not be able to book the return trip until after 1:00 p.m.
• Failure to cancel a formalized trip that has not been made at least 24 hours in advance will be considered inappropriate use.
• The use of a ticket by a person other than the holder of the multi-trip ticket will be considered inappropriate use.
• The multi-trip ticket will be withdrawn and the deposit will be seized from travelers with improper use on three detected occasions.
As for the lines on which free travel will be allowed by bus, we find the following:
- Teruel-Barcelona with hijuela to Caspe
- Logroño-Soria-Madrid with hijuelas
- Madrid-Toledo with daughters
- Murcia-Seville via Granada with daughters
- Murcia-Valencia
- Viella-Lleida with hijuelas
- Lleida-Molina de Aragón via Zaragoza with Hijuelas
- Irún-Tuy with daughters
- Madrid-Badajoz-Valencia with daughters
- Coria-Salamanca-Barcelona with hijuelas
- Madrid-Alicante with hijuelas
- Madrid-Toledo by Valmojado with hijuela by Chozas Canales
- Burgos-Poza de la Sal-Frías-Briviesca-Logroño with hijuelas
- Soria-Zaragoza with daughters
- Madrid-Fuensalida
- Madrid-Miajadas-Don Benito with daughters
- Madrid-Granada-Almuñécar
- Madrid-Jaén with hijuelas
- Madrid-Zaragoza-Barcelona with hijuela
- Santander-Bilbao-Barcelona with hijuela
- Huesca-Lleida with hijuelas
- Madrid-Salamanca-Vigo with daughters
- Madrid-Fuente Del Arco-Badalona with hijuelas
- Alicante-Murcia with daughters
- Zaragoza-Murcia with daughters
- Salamanca-León-Santander-Laredo
- León-Zaragoza via Valladolid with daughters
- Seville and Málaga in Montgat and Manresa, with hijuelas
- Madrid-Piedrabuena
- Zaragoza-Castellón de La Plana via Tarragona and Caspe
- Madrid-Irún With Hijuelas
- Madrid-Casas Ibáñez-Las Lagunas de Ruidera
- Santiago de Compostela-Gijón-Irún-Barcelona
- Gijón-León-Madrid
- Seville-Salamanca-Irún
- Genave Bridge (Jaén)- Albacete
- Ferrol-Algeciras
- Tamarite de Litera (Huesca)-Lleida
- Santander-Bilbao-La Manga del Mar Menor (Murcia)
- Madrid-Seville-Ayamonte (Huelva)
- Madrid-Córdoba-San Fernando
- Madrid-Almeria
- Ayamonte (Huelva)-Santa Coloma de Gramanet (Barcelona)
- Vigo (Pontevedra), Irun (Guipuzcoa) and Barcelona
- Bilbao (Vizcaya) and Castro Urdiales (Cantabria)
- Madrid-Zaorejas-Sigüenza
- Madrid – Plasencia (Caceres)
- Madrid-Avila
- Madrid-Jaraíz de La Vera (Cáceres)
- Pamplona-Jaca
- Madrid-Navamorcuende (Toledo)
- Calahorra (La Rioja)-Soria
- Almeria-Cartagena
- Murcia-Almeria
- Cuenca-Barcelona
- Madrid-Piedrabuena (Ciudad Real)-Agudo (Ciudad Real)
- Madrid-Málaga-Algeciras (Cádiz)
- Fraga-Binefar-Mequinenza (Huesca)-Lleida
- Irún (Guipúzcoa)-Algeciras (Cádiz)
- Burgos-Zaragoza
- Eibar (Guipúzcoa)-Pamplona (Navarra)
- Jaen-Benidorm (Alicante)
- Merida (Badajoz)-Seville
- Badajoz-Seville
- Madrid-Aranda Duero (Burgos)-El Burgo de Osma (Soria)
- Madrid-Guadalajara
- Barcelona-Huesca
- Madrid-Segovia with extension to Melgar de Fernamental (Burgos)
- Aldeanueva del Camino (Cáceres)-Madrid
- Puertollano-Tomelloso-Cuenca-Albacete-Valencia
- Alicante-Cartagena-Murcia
- Pedro Bernardo (Ávila) – Talavera de la Reina (Toledo)
- La Adrada (Ávila) – Talavera de la Reina (Toledo)
- Hontanares (Ávila) – Talavera de la Reina (Toledo)
- Badajoz-Córdoba with Hijuelas
- Madrid-Molina de Aragon-Teruel-Valencia
- Madrid-Pamplona through Burgos and Logroño, with an extension to Valcarlos and the French border of Arnegui
