MADRID – From 2023, tickets for many long-distance buses in Spain will no longer be sold at half price. They will be completely free! It concerns 42 bus lines that cross Spain. In this way, the Spanish government wants to help people save on their costs.
The new measure complements the one already announced for the Cercanías and ‘Media Distancia’ trains, which will also be free for frequent travellers in the coming year. To qualify for this, travellers must deposit €20, which will be refunded if the subscription is used.
Related post: Free train travel through Spain until the end of 2023
The long-distance buses that will be free throughout the year 2023 are part of the state concession network. This was confirmed last week by Minister Sánchez of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda during a speech in the Spanish parliament. Based on the measure in force since September 1, frequent travellers now receive a 50% discount on tickets for some bus lines.
Which routes are free?
The list of free long-distance buses in Spain in 2023 is as follows:
- Huesca-Lleida
- Barcelona-Huesca
- Madrid–Segovia
- Madrid–Salamanca–Vigo
- Tamarite de Litera (Huesca) – Lleida
- Madrid – Fuente del Arco – Monasterio – Badalona
- Teruel-Barcelona
- Zaragoza – Caspe – Tarragona – Castellón de la Plana
- Fraga – Binéfar – Mequinenza (Huesca) – Lleida
- Madrid–Miajadas–Don Benito
- Madrid – Jaraiz de la Vera
- Madrid–Zaorejas (Guadalajara)–Sigüenza (Guadalajara)
- Madrid – Casas Ibáñez – Las Lagunas de Ruidera
- Madrid – Piedrabuena – Casas Ibáñez – Las Lagunas de Ruidera
- Madrid – Jaen
- Madrid–Toledo
- Logrono – Soria – Madrid
- Murcia – Cartagena – Granada – Málaga – Seville – Córdoba
- Murcia-Valencia
- Viella-Lleida
- Lleida – Zaragoza – Molina de Aragón
- Irun-Tuy
- Madrid-Alicante
- Burgos – Poza de la Sal – Frías – Briviesca – Padrones – Logroño
- Madrid–Granada–Almunecar
- Madrid-Zaragoza-Barcelona
- Santander-Bilbao-Barcelona
- Alicante-Murcia
- Salamanca – Leon – Santander
- Seville – Málaga – Montgat – Manresa
- Irun–Madrid
- Santiago de Compostela – Gijón – Irun – Barcelona
- Madrid – León – GijónSeville – Salamanca – Irun
- Ferrol (A Coruña) – Algeciras (Cadiz)
- Murcia-Almeria
- Madrid-Guadalajara
- Soria-Zaragoza
- Madrid – Almeria Almeria – Cartagena
- Alicante–Cartagena–Murcia
How do you get a free bus ticket?
You can take advantage of this offer when you buy multi-ride tickets of 10, 20 or 30 rides and pay an advance of 20 euros. This deposit – also required for the medium and long-distance trains from Cercanías and Rodalies – is refundable if you make a certain number of journeys. However, what that number is, has not been announced yet.
350 million litres of fuel saved
According to the minister, this rail measure will save more than 350 million litres of petrol and prevent the emission of one million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere by 2023. The ministry has also calculated that a family of four members could save between €1,800 and €3,000 by using the scheme.
The bus network
According to data from the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, at the beginning of 2022, the bus network had a total of 4,088 stops distributed in 2,399 cities belonging to 1,837 municipalities in Spain. The total length of the lines is 68,861 kilometres, with an average of 894.3 kilometres per concession.
