Renfe has already prepared the penalties for users who make improper use of free passes on Media Distancia trains. That is, those who reserve several tickets and then do not make the trip, a situation that prevents other travelers from requesting routes when the trains are full. The operator has taken several measures to avoid this picaresque and, therefore, try to ensure that whoever books a journey ends up doing it.
Specifically, Renfe will seize the 20-euro deposit and will cancel the free subscription to users who have not canceled their seat reservation at least two hours in advance without making the trip on at least three occasions. Only the credit for the line in which irregular use has been detected will be withdrawn. But the user will not be able to issue a new pass associated with that holder for any other trip until 30 days later, as published this Monday by the Official State Gazette (BOE).
It must be remembered that users must purchase a different pass for each Media Distancia origin/destination journey, which will be valid for unlimited journeys between the origin and destination requested by the customer, in both directions.
Before arriving to withdraw the payment and the deposit, Renfe will send two notices to the holder when it detects that he has not finally traveled without canceling the reservation with the required advance notice. The third time misuse is incurred, a sanction will be applied. Even so, a transitional period of 7 days is established in which the traveler will be informed of the breach without this implying the application of the measure.
In parallel, the maximum number of journeys that can be formalized per season ticket is limited to four daily round-trip trips and it will be impossible to formalize two trips in the same direction until three times the scheduled travel time elapses.
Renfe takes measures to avoid picaresque. As La Vanguardia announced, the operator chaired by Isaías Táboas has been studying this plan for weeks to fight against the improper use of free subscriptions, a plan that will be in force throughout 2023.
For its part, to facilitate greater use of the trains, on certain trains, with reserved seats and high demand, Renfe may establish a quota of standing seats, that is, without reserved seats, which shall not exceed 10% of the seats offered with seat reservation, informing travelers of said travel condition. Seat selection will not be available on these high-demand trains.
All these measures come into force the day after the resolution is published in the BOE and Renfe will activate them on December 7.
Likewise, a specific subscription will be launched for minors without DNI and only one title can be obtained by DNI, NIE or passport for each origin-destination, thus avoiding improper use of these titles. This specific measure will come into force on January 1, 2023, coinciding with the activation of the extension of the discounts for public rail transport, an initiative that has been very well received by the population that has already acquired more than 2, 2 million free season tickets, of which 1.6 million are for travel on Cercanías and Rodalies and 627,000 tickets are for conventional Media Distancia.
