The freeze on public transport fares in the Barcelona area, which has been applied for the past three years, has come to an end. Until now the current prices were the same as in 2020, without taking into account the bonuses that apply from September 2022 to help citizens mitigate the effects of inflation. In 2024 – predictably on January 1 – they will rise by 6.75%, as approved yesterday by the Metropolitan Transport Authority (ATM), without yet detailing how this increase will be specified in each title. This increase is intended to deal with the large increase in system costs due to inflation, which has affected such structural costs for operators as energy (fuel and electricity). And also give some respite to the finances of the system, with a deficit that has not stopped growing since the pandemic.
The board of directors of the ATM – participated by the Generalitat, which has a majority, the Barcelona City Council and the Metropolitan Area (AMB) – also agreed to maintain the 20% bonus in the two titles with the most recurrence, the T- Usual and the T- Young. This decision has been taken while the General Administration of the State has not yet approved whether it will do the same with the 30% it contributes and which allows for a 50% reduction.
According to sources consulted by La Vanguardia, the fact that the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility did not approve the extension of the bonus led to discussion in the board of directors. The recent statements of Minister Óscar Puente, contrary to the fact that they have been in force for much longer, have raised serious doubts about what the central government will end up doing. There is also no news about the announcement made by President Pedro Sánchez about free work for young people and the unemployed. Faced with this situation, the ATM agreed that the new rates will not come into effect until the Central Executive officially concretizes the proposal, which he expects to be before the end of the year. In the meantime, those of 2023 will continue to be valid.
The specification of each rate is expected to be made public in the coming days. In a draft that was discussed in yesterday's session, but which was not approved, the T-Usual, which allows an unlimited number of trips in a month, passed, in the modality of a zone, from 20 euros to 21.35 euros. And the T-Jove, the quarterly pass for users up to 30 years old, from 40 euros to 42.70 euros, in this case, valid for the six tariff zones. The two titles increased the price by 6.75% if approved. The T-Casual (ten trips) went up a little more, by 7%, from 11.35 euros to 12.15 euros.
The ATM explained in a statement that to set the 6.75%, different factors were taken into account to "continue to guarantee the sustainability of the system, after three years of price containment and several improvements in the benefits of the titles social". Economically, he highlighted "the high generalized increase in prices that has particularly affected the cost of energy". In this sense, he recalled that, "since 2019, what has accumulated from the CPI has been at almost 15%, and in 2024 it is estimated that it will reach 19%".
It has also been taken into account, added the ATM, "the impact generated by covid, which has caused at least two years of severe financial decompensation for operators due to the large drop in passengers". At the same time, he recalled that "there has been an improvement in the offer with new costs". All of this has meant that the administrations now cover more of the cost of the service. From 58.7% pre-pandemic 2019 it has gone to 65.5%.
