Spain is preparing to introduce a nationwide travel card that will give holders unlimited use of most public transport services, regardless of region or city, for a flat monthly fee of €60.
On Monday, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez unveiled plans for this new universal transport pass, which will be valid across the entire country.
Spain’s Minister for Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Óscar Puente, said on Tuesday that the new unified transport pass allowing travel across the whole country will be usable from 19 January. He said it will not affect the discounts already in force, such as the Cercanías commuter pass.
The new transport pass will provide unlimited travel on commuter rail, medium-distance trains, and state-run buses throughout Spain’s 17 autonomous communities, with the expectation that additional public transport systems will be incorporated over time.
Sánchez said on Monday that the measure is intended to ‘forever change the way Spaniards understand and use public transport’, emphasising its role in encouraging sustainable mobility, reducing reliance on private cars, and easing household transport costs.
Although the policy was first floated in January, the government had not previously confirmed what the pass would cost. It has now been established that adults will pay €60 per month, while people under 26 will be able to obtain it for €30.
The scheme is designed to offer unlimited travel across a wide public transport network. As Sánchez said: ‘All citizens will be able to get a pass that will allow them to travel throughout the country’, granting access to ‘commuter trains, regional trains, the metro, and state-owned buses’.
However, high-speed services such as the AVE, as well as privately operated long-distance coach routes, will not be included at this stage. In practice, this means the abono único will not function like an Interrail-style pass for rapid, low-cost travel around Spain.
For residents, though, the initiative is expected to significantly reduce everyday travel expenses, especially for those who commute between cities. ‘A worker who travels daily from Vigo to Santiago or from Jerez to Seville can save up to almost 60% of their monthly public transport expenses,’ Sánchez said.
Some questions remain over the extent of the coverage. El País has pointed out that, in its current form, the pass ‘does not include metro, trams or urban buses, because they depend on regional governments and municipalities’.
In an interview on Monday on TVE, Transport Minister Puente said that the new transport pass will be an ‘additional’ product that does not replace any existing ones. Its aim is to integrate urban and inter-urban passes so that there is a single transport ticket valid throughout the country, as already exists in some other European nations.
To achieve this, he said a cooperation agreement will be offered to regional and local administrations that wish to participate. ‘We would have liked to start from day one with the autonomous communities and city councils already on board, but various reasons – some technical, others more political – made that impossible,’ the minister said. Even so, he said he is ‘convinced’ that over time ‘they will gradually be integrated’.
Existing fare discounts will stay in place for the first six months of 2026. Additionally, a temporary €20 ticket valid for four months will be introduced for Cercanías commuter trains, with a reduced €10 option for young people and vulnerable groups.
Authorities say this schedule will enable both passengers and transport operators to adapt gradually.
Sánchez described the new pass on Monday as offering a ‘very strong commitment to sustainable mobility and also to the working and middle classes’, calling it ‘a transformative and highly relevant measure for the daily lives of our fellow citizens’.
Since 2022, Spain’s left-leaning government has rolled out a series of support measures to cushion the economic fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which drove inflation sharply higher, particularly in energy, fuel, and food.
Among these initiatives were fully subsidised or heavily discounted travel passes for commuter, regional, and intercity buses – free for many users between March 2022 and June 2024, before being scaled back to a 60% discount.
With inflation stabilising and the funding behind those emergency schemes now largely depleted, the government is shifting its focus to this new unified national transport subscription.
According to official estimates, the initiative is expected to benefit around two million regular public transport users across Spain.
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Los descuentos en los distintos títulos de transporte que están en vigor en este momento se prorrogan: seguirán estando en vigor en 2026.
➕ El Abono Único es un producto a más de lo que ya hay y que permite combinar distintos modos de transporte.@oscar_puente_ en @LaHoraTVE. pic.twitter.com/4nU7i0YNNZ
— Ministerio Transportes y Movilidad Sostenible (@transportesgob) December 16, 2025
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