Transport Department keeps 50% discount on Euskotren services to the end of the year

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Transport Department keeps 50% discount on Euskotren services to the end of the year 

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- Users of train, tram and funicular services who are holders of contactless Barik, Bat or Mugi cards will continue to benefit from the drop in fares as the discount will be automatically applied though the usual payment systems      
- The Transport Department likewise intends to extend the 10% support to Basque public transport operators through the second half of the year to continue backing the financing of the measure   

Euskotren, the publicly-owned company of the Basque Government’s Ministry of Territorial Planning, Housing and Transport, will continue to apply the 50% discount on its train, tram and funicular services until 31 December 2023. The Basque Government, in coordination with the other transport authorities, thus remains committed to one of its priority goals to ease families' economic situation, while fostering and driving sustainability mobility by encouraging the use of public transport instead of private vehicles, and thus reducing CO2 emissions.

Particularly noteworthy in that regard is that Euskotren's tram and railway services saw a 24.64% growth in passenger demand between January and April, up from 10,408,936 in the same period of last year to 12,974,376 people.  

The temporary discount on the fares came into force on 1 September 2022 for the following means of transport operated by Euskotren:      

- The five railway lines (E1, E2. E3, E4, E5)      
- Line 3 of the subway in Bilbao      
- The Bilbao and Vitoria-Gasteiz tramways      
- The Larreineta funicular railway      

The discount is automatically applied to the Barik, Bat and Mugi contactless travel cards. The 50% discount will also be applied to monthly season ticket for the Larreineta funicular railway and the 10-trip ticket for the Kukullaga lift, even if they are bought without a travel card.  The discount does not apply to single or return paper tickets.  The season tickets taken out with transport companies from outside the BAC (Passbask, Euskopass, Txik-txak, Transbus, Bortziri…) are not covered by the scheme.      

The Transport Department also plans to extend the current 10% financial support to help all the public transport operators in the Basque Country to apply the discounts. It is currently negotiating with the Treasury Department to continue to be able to apply the support until the end of 2023.