The Spanish Congress of Deputies has rejected today the validation of the Royal Decree extending the recurrent season tickets and discounts on public transport, with the votes of PP, Vox and Junts.
This decision, which will come into effect tomorrow 23 January following its publication in the BOE, the official gazzette, will affect some 20 million users, according to Ministry estimates. From tomorrow, recurrent season tickets for Cercanías, Media Distancia and state buses will no longer be issued.
As we detailed in Trainvelling, discounts of 50% on Avant passes and at-least 40% on municipal and regional passes and multi-journey tickets will also cease. For the time being, Madrid has confirmed that it will assume the current 60% discounts on its own.
However, tickets and season tickets purchased until today will remain valid for the duration of their validity.
The future of these discounts is uncertain, although it is possible that the government will look for alternatives to reintroduce them, given that it is one of its flagship measures.
