Nearly a million people have obtained a free rail pass that can be used on regional and suburban trains, as part of the system set up in Spain to support purchasing power and protect the environment. “In less than two weeks, we have exceeded one million free subscriptions to Renfe”, the Spanish equivalent of SNCF, announced Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez during a meeting with members of his party.
“Hundreds of thousands of workers and students will benefit from government-funded reductions in public transport,” he added.
This figure, almost twice that announced when this measure came into force at the beginning of September, “confirms the good reception given by users” to this measure, estimated Renfe in a press release.
This device is planned for a period of four months, concerns local trains in major cities such as Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia or Seville. It is also set up for medium-distance trains.
“Save 118 million liters of fuel”
It aims to support the purchasing power of Spaniards, strongly affected by soaring energy prices, by encouraging them to abandon their car and take public transport. This measure should make it possible to “save 118 million liters of fuel and avoid the emission of 360,576 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere”, underlines the railway company in its press release.
Asked Monday on the sidelines of a trip, the Minister of Transport Raquel Sanchez said she was considering the implementation of structural measures to encourage the use of public transport beyond December 31.
In Germany, the monthly ticket for 9 euros in public transport, tested between the beginning of June and the end of August, was a great success, with a reduction of 1.8 million tonnes of CO2 in three months. A total of 52 million tickets were sold and ten million people who already had a monthly subscription also benefited. The Social Democrats, like the city of Berlin, want to make the measure permanent, even at a slightly less advantageous price.