Train passengers in Spain can use free monthly tickets from Thursday. The Spanish government wants to limit the consequences of inflation in this way. Free train tickets will remain available until the end of the year. More than half a million applications have already been submitted.
Inflation in Spain is very high, just as in the Netherlands, and is now above 10%. As a result, many Spaniards get into financial problems. Free train subscriptions should lighten the load somewhat.
Monthly tickets are only valid for local and intercity trains on medium distance routes. For long trips and one-off trips, you still have to pay in Spain. Renfe Rail expects about 75 million free rides to be made.
Users of public transport in Spain also get a discount on other modes of transport. In total, the government spent 221 million euros on these measures.
Germany also gave a discount on public transport
This summer, Germany had a similar system of train tickets for €9, which allowed unlimited travel on all public transport, except for high-speed trains. Those tickets were very popular. $52 million sold. In addition, another 10 million tickets for the train season were temporarily cheaper.
According to German public transport companies, less than a tenth of them were driven by a car due to the cheap ticket prices. This would save the annual CO2 emissions of nearly 388,000 vehicles. Critics argue that most of the train journeys were not alternatives, but rather extra trips from people who might otherwise have stayed home.
Due to rising costs, the arrangement, whose last day will be Wednesday, will not be extended at this time.
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