The government has once again extended the free use of Cercanías and Media Distancia trains for regular users throughout the year 2024, as well as the 50% discounts on transportation within regional autonomy.
Therefore, residents of Cádiz who regularly travel on Renfe’s Cercanías trains within Cádiz and on Media Distancia trains between the province and Sevilla will continue to do so for free in 2024.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, in a press conference following the Cabinet meeting, explained that these measures will continue to be applied as they have been.
This means that autonomous communities will be required to contribute 20% of the 50% discount so that the state can transfer funds to subsidize the 30% reduction, all intended for season passes and multi-trip tickets.
Bus and Avant trains
Along with the free use of Media Distancia and Cercanías trains, there will also be free tickets for bus travellers whose competition falls under the responsibility of the State, likewise for regular travellers, as well as 50% discounts on Avant trains.
The approval of these two measures was expected, as the government already included a budget allocation of 1.44 billion euros in its 2024 budget plan for the subsidy of public transportation, including the free use of trains and buses and assistance to autonomous communities for discounts on transportation within their jurisdiction.
Specifically, free train tickets will cost around 600 million euros, direct assistance to communities and municipalities will concentrate on 760 million euros, and subsidies for long-distance state buses will amount to another 80 million euros.
How to obtain the free pass
The Cercanías app allows for the quick, simple, and efficient acquisition of recurring passes for Cercanías and Rodalies, generating a QR code that can be downloaded to the mobile phone and later used for access control at the stations.
Recurring cards are valid for four months. Therefore, regular travellers will need to renew their free pass every four months. The assistance will be available until December 31, 2024.
