Public Transport Remains Free in Fuerteventura
Congress approves the Sustainable Mobility Law and seals free public transport in the Canary and Balearic Islands
The plenary of the Congress of Deputies approved on Thursday the Sustainable Mobility Law, which, after the vote on amendments introduced in the Senate, guarantees free public transport in the Canary and Balearic Islands.
The amendment concerning this issue, in addition to the support of the Canarian Coalition, received backing from all parliamentary groups in the Congress, except Junts per Catalunya (which voted against it) and the PNV (which abstained).
Prior to its passage through the Senate, the Canarian Coalition had secured, through amendments in the Transport Committee, that the bill approved by the Congress of Deputies already included a differentiated treatment for the Canary Islands in this and other aspects.
Now, the Sustainable Mobility Law, recognizing the insular nature and in accordance with the provisions of the Canary Islands’ Economic and Fiscal Regime, establishes a subsidy for the Canary and Balearic Islands to implement a 100 % discount on the price of season tickets and multi‑journey passes for land public transport.
The subsidies will be granted by the General Secretariat for Sustainable Mobility, which will manage the procedure and payments through the Directorate General for Mobility Strategies.
“A milestone unimaginable a short time ago,” said Canarian Coalition spokesperson in the Congress, Cristina Valido, celebrating the final approval in the lower house. She added that free public transport is now enshrined in law and there will be no need to “fight for it year after year,” since financing becomes a state obligation.
“When the Canarian Coalition secured free transport in 2023, all parties said it was impossible, but today it is a legal right.”
Valido also recalled that the nationalist formation has been “fighting for several years” to maintain free transport in the archipelago because it is “an economic relief for many families and also helps the islands invest more in public transport.”