Those who are frequent users of public transport will be able to continue enjoying the extension of the free Renfe passes in 2023 for Cercanías, Media Distancia and Rodalies, which ended on December 31. This is how the Government of Spain will take it in the last Council of Ministers to deal with inflation and the consequences of the war in Ukraine. Although the extension will remain in force throughout the year, the titles, which can be purchased from December 29, have new conditions.
Renfe has published almost 2.5 million free passes since August. The Ministry of Transport, Mobility and the Urban Agenda, led by José Luis Ábalos, is going to allocate 650 million euros to cover the costs of implementing the measures and compensate the operator for the discounts, as well as to support the gratuity of the bus lines that are state competence.
In addition, direct aid to the Autonomous Communities and local entities is maintained so that they apply discounts to urban and interurban public transport. If the regional governments and local entities complement it up to 50%, the Government of Spain contributes 30% of the reduction.
The conditions of Renfe’s free passes for 2023
The free Renfe passes for 2023 will be valid four months, that is, four months. Therefore, taking into account that it was resumed on January 1, the first will be valid until April 30, the next until August 31, and the third until December 31. These last two may be requested two months before they enter into force.
There is something that does not change and that is that this multi-trip ticket will continue to be free for users who will make a minimum of 16 trips during the four months of validity, as it is quarterly.
In addition, customers will have to pay a deposit of 10 euros in Cercanías and Rodalies, and 20 euros in Media Distancia. This will be refunded automatically if paid by card, once it is verified that the user has made 16 journeys or more and, if paid in cash, the refund will be made at the station ticket offices. On the contrary, if the minimum trips are not met, the amount will not be refunded.
How to get the free Renfe passes for 2023
The season ticket can be purchased from December 29, and there are three different ways to do it: through the Cercanías Renfe and Rodalies mobile application, on the Renfe website or in person at the station vending machines and ticket offices . If the application is used, a QR code is generated that is downloaded to the mobile to be used later to control access to the stations.
With this subscription, the routes that have Cercanías, Rodalies, Cercanías Ancho Métrico, Media Distancia and Renfe’s own multi-trip tickets are free. Some of the routes that will benefit from the 100% bonus are the AVAT Ourense-A Coruña, Madrid-Salamanca service and the Alicante-Murcia medium-distance service.
Likewise, Avant trains for routes such as Málaga-Granada, Cuenca-Madrid or León-Palencia maintain the 50% discount. Some AVE routes of less than 100 minutes, such as Ourense-Zamora or Madrid-Palencia, will also enjoy this discount.
👂 Get your free four-month subscription now for ➡️ Cercanías➡️ Rodalies➡️ Media Distancia➡️ Metric Width ➡️ 5️⃣0️⃣ percent discount on Avant subscriptions💡 Remember, with our app you avoid queues and essential waits.
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– Renfe (@Renfe) December 29, 2022
Penalties for irregular use of free subscriptions
Since its launch, there have been many free passes that Renfe has had to withdraw due to irregular use. This happens when, on at least three occasions, the user does not cancel the reservation of a place two hours in advance if he is not going to make it. In this case, not only is the title canceled and the 20-euro deposit is seized, but it is also prohibited to acquire a new season ticket until 30 days have passed since its cancellation.
Those who purchase the free passes will not be able to book more than four trips a day. It is also not allowed to make reservations for train trips with the same origin-destination if the time difference between their departure times is less than three times the time of the trip itself. Therefore, if the return has not been completed at the same origin and destination, it is not possible to book several outings.
