With the start of the new year, it is common for the new fares for Barcelona's metropolitan public transport to come into effect on January 1. But this time the measure will be delayed by two weeks. It was decided yesterday after a meeting of the board of directors of the Metropolitan Transport Authority (ATM), a consortium participated by the Generalitat de Catalunya (51%) and the local administrations (49%), which are the City Council of Barcelona, the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona (AMB) and the Association of Municipalities for Mobility and Urban Transport (AMTU). So, the new prices will be effective from January 15.
As reported by the transport authority in a statement, this means the "extension of the validity of tickets purchased before January 14 until April 30 to guarantee full use by users".
While there are surprises in the application times, the prices are as expected. The ATM confirmed the renewal of the 20% bonus on the values of the T-usual and T-jove, the titles that they consider to encourage the recurrent use of public transport. Together with the 30% reduction also renewed for one year by the State Government, these two subscriptions will continue in 2024 with a 50% price reduction. It is the same situation as until now.
A T-usual in a zone will be worth 21.35 euros next year, which means an increase of 6.75% compared to this year. The cost of the T-jove, which does not take into account zones, will be 42.70 euros, 6.75% more.
The price increase is explained by the already announced decision to update the rates by 6.75% on average after a three-year restraint. The aim is to "compensate for the general increase in prices in recent years and the strong financial discompensation of operators due to the effect of covid", as argued by the transport authority. For example, the T-casual, which has already been overtaken by the T-usual as the title with the most validations, will cost 12.15 euros, 7.04% more.
On the other hand, the ATM reported that, "according to the operators, it will not be possible to exchange 2023 titles for 2024 titles". However, the transport authority expects demand to increase next year and predicts a “record” 2024.
