
Farewell to the public transport subsidies announced for this 2025 from this very Wednesday. After several years of public transport and reduced prices the Congress of Deputies has rejected this Wednesday by surprise the omnibus decree promoted by the Spanish Government that included measures such as bonuses to public transport season tickets.
The vote has been decided after the ‘no’ of the PP and Junts and leaves without effect the so-called “social shield”, which included other important social measures such as the increase of pensions, the increase of the Minimum Interprofessional Wage (SMI) and the extension of the suspension of evictions for vulnerable people.
Junts, key in the refusal
The rejection of Junts was decisive in tipping the balance against the decree, leaving the validation in the hands of the Popular Party, which has also finally voted against it. Junts has criticized the Government for what they consider “covert budgets” and has accused the PSOE of “mixing measures that help citizens with others that only benefit them politically”. For this reason, they have shown themselves in favor of supporting a separate decree that exclusively includes the revaluation of pensions and transport subsidies.
For its part, the PP has registered a bill to guarantee the revaluation of pensions, since it describes the omnibus decree as a “trap decree”.
What happens with the subsidies for public transport passes in Barcelona and Catalonia?
The rejection of this law implies that, as of tomorrow, the direct subsidies for Cercanías and Media Distancia managed by Renfe, which depends on the State, will be cancelled, since the decree extended them from December 31, 2024. Sources from the Ministry of Transport have confirmed that the issuance of free Renfe and state bus tickets will be frozen.
This means, a priori, 20% of the bonuses. The other 30% is provided by the Generalitat and an extra 3% by the ATM. Neither of the two institutions has made a statement on this issue, so that right now the final price of metro, bus and Rodalies in Barcelona and Catalonia is an unknown beyond the certain elimination of aid dependent on the Ministry of Transport.
Currently, for example, the subsidies for Rodalies were approved until June 2025, but the truth is that it remains to be seen how the prices will finally be.
According to last minute information, the Government does not rule out convening an extraordinary Council of Ministers to approve a single decree with the subsidies for public transport.
Metro, bus and streetcar will remain the same
Shortly after the announcement of the rejection of the decree in Congress, the MTA has announced that the prices will remain unchanged even if the State subsidies are no longer applied. According to a source from the MTA informed Betevé, “everything will remain the same”.
This affects the metro, city bus and streetcar networks, metropolitan buses such as Baixbus and Moventis, and other services such as the Teleférico.
Important measures that are suspended
The omnibus decree included a series of social measures that are now invalid after the parliamentary rejection:
- Pension increase: the planned increase will not be applied.
- Bonuses in public transport: subsidies to users will be eliminated.
- Extension of the suspension of evictions: vulnerable people lose this protection, which was extended until December 31.
- Aid to those affected by the DANA: the resources foreseen for the affected areas will not be activated.
The Government of Pedro Sánchez will now have to look for new ways to boost these measures. The PP and Junts have left that they are willing to support separate initiatives for pensions and transport aids, as long as they are not linked to other provisions.