The Government is going to extend for six more months the discounts on public transport that were launched two years ago, in the midst of an inflationary spiral, according to sources from the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility.
For months, the Ministry headed by Óscar Puente has been considering continuing with the discounts, but considered limiting them to certain groups. Specifically, focus this measure on young, frequent travelers and people in vulnerable situations. Finally, as confirmed by the aforementioned sources, they will remain as they are during the first half of 2025.
This Thursday, the general secretary of Podemos, Ione Belarra, after the plenary session of the Congress of Deputies, announced an agreement between her party and the PSOE to extend the social shield and, specifically, the suspension of evictions of vulnerable people “during one year” and aid for public transport “for six months.”
A few weeks ago, Puente assured that Transportes saw this measured as positive from a fiscal point of view, at a time when inflation was putting a lot of pressure on the family economy.
However, he also noted that he did not consider it “the most appropriate from the point of view of public transportation.” “We believe that the economic commitment” in transportation “must focus on quality, on increasing supply, frequencies, and comfort,” he listed.
“I also say that free subscriptions, if it is going to be eliminated, will not be in exchange for anything. There will be measures that will continue to support recurring users, the most economically vulnerable, the youngest users,” he indicated in an interview on RTVE.
Source: www.eldiario.es
