The single €60 pass transforms state transport from January

The single €60 pass arrives on 19 January. It covers Cercanías, Media Distancia and state-run buses. Discounts are extended until 2026. Discover the new discounts and how they affect your wallet. Which services are excluded and what new measures has the Government introduced?

The much-anticipated single national transport pass, which will allow travel on Cercanías, Media Distancia and the state bus network for €60 a month — and €30 for those under 26 — will be available from 19 January. The Consejo de Ministros has approved this measure just a week after Pedro Sánchez announced the new flat rate.

The Government has also decided to extend all current public transport discounts until 2026. However, the single pass does not include urban services such as metro, bus or tram. According to the Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, this launch is only the first step and there is still a way to go to integrate all urban centres and local transport into the pass.

For now, users will need to combine two passes: one for getting around the city and another for intercity journeys. The current discounts remain: unlimited monthly pass for €20 for Cercanías (€10 for young people) and completely free travel for children under 14. On Media Distancia and special Avant services, free travel for children continues and there are 40% discounts on monthly passes and ten-trip tickets. On general Avant services, the 50% discount remains in place.

On state-run buses, children under 14 will continue to travel free, the ten-trip ticket keeps a 40% discount and the monthly named pass offers a 50% reduction, rising to 70% for young people up to 26 years old. On regional and local transport, free travel for children is extended, 50% discounts for young people and a 20% discount for other passes, funded by the Ministerio de Transportes.

Óscar Puente has noted that the introduction of the national pass has been met with mixed reactions among the autonomous communities, although some governed by the PP have shown enthusiasm. In addition, specific support measures remain: free travel for frequent travellers in Canarias y Baleares, and free Cercanías in Asturias y Cantabria.

The Government has also introduced two new passes: Pase Vía, which offers progressive discounts on Avant depending on the number of quarterly journeys (from 45% to 75%), and the Sistema Cronos for Cercanías, which applies a 40% discount from the fifth journey and similar reductions to the ten-trip ticket on the tenth journey. These options allow access to discounts without needing to buy traditional passes.

The cost of these discounts and passes for 2025 will be €1.371 billion, adding to the €9.29 billion invested since 2018. More than 14 million free or discounted passes have saved rail users around €1.5 billion, reducing public transport costs by up to 75% on average and, in some cases, by as much as €5,000 per person.