On June 4 last, the Council of Ministers approved the launch of the second edition of the Verano Joven (Summer for Young People) programme, an initiative created in 2023 to promote the use of public transport among young people, boosting their learning and strengthening European sentiment.
A total of €130 million will be used to finance discounts of up to 90 % on single and return tickets on state bus and rail services, and the Interrail Pass for rail travel in Europe.
Who are the beneficiaries of the Verano Joven programme?
The beneficiaries are young people with Spanish nationality or who are legally resident in Spain, born between 1 January 1994 and 31 December 2006 (i.e., aged between 18 and 30).
How to register to access the Verano Joven programme discounts?
Potential beneficiaries must register with their DNI, NIE or passport in the space provided on the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility's website.
If the requirements of the programme are met, once registered, beneficiaries will receive a personal and non-transferable code to be used to purchase the Interrail Pass and discounted train and bus tickets on the websites of the respective operators. The code, consisting of the DNI or NIE number and a set of characters, will be sent to the mobile phone or email provided if the young person meets all the requirements. The code is valid for the entire period, and all means of transport are included.
You must register 24 hours before the first ticket is issued. Registration is free of charge, although companies may charge a handling fee for the issuing of discounted tickets, subject to a limit of €1 per ticket.
Young people must use a certified electronic system, such as Cl@ve, or enter their name and surname (as stated on the DNI or NIE), date of birth and the number and date of validity of the DNI; or the date and validity of the NIE, together with the support number of the EU Citizen Register or Foreigners' Identity Card (TIE) as appropriate, as well as the nationality and the municipality of residence.
What are the discounts for travel in Spain and Europe?
By bus:
- 90% discount for regular state bus services
By train:
- 90% discount on conventional medium-distance and metric gauge services
- 50% discount on Avant single tickets
- 50 % discount, up to a maximum of €30 per ticket, for long distance or high speed commercial services
- 50% discount on the Global Flexible option of the 10-day over 2 months Interrail Pass, when marketed through Renfe. The discount is applied on the official Interrail fares, with their price features according to age, etc.
Conditions and penalties
There are a number of conditions to avoid misuse of discount tickets. For example, the use of the registration code by a person other than the registered beneficiary will be directly sanctioned. In this case, the person intending to travel will be deemed not to have a valid ticket and fines of up to €750 for rail transport and up to €200 for bus transport may be imposed.
In addition, the registration code may be withdrawn from beneficiaries who accumulate more than six detected misuses, whether on rail or road transport. The company will give advance warning of any misuse by SMS message to the mobile phone or registered email address, and of the possible consequences of the misuse.
The following cases are considered as misuse:
- Failure to cancel a trip that has been formalised and not made at least 24 hours in advance. The company may reduce this period in accordance with its usual marketing and sales practices.
- In the case of state bus lines, the concessionary company may reduce this 24-hour time limit for short journeys where most of them are for regular mobility. To this effect, changing tickets on these journeys will not be considered misuse.
- Violation of the established condition that the code is personal and non-transferable.
The booking of more than one return journey per day for the same origin-destination with the same rail or bus company will not be allowed unless the first journey has been made or cancelled in advance.
Travelling in Europe: the Interrail Pass
Interrail is a personal, non-transferable pass that can be purchased and used by residents of most European countries to travel by train in 33 European countries (or by boat between Italy and Greece). There are two types:
- Interrail Global Pass: allows you to travel in several countries. Continuous (valid for 15 days, 22 days, 1 month, 2 months or 3 months) or flexible (valid for 4, 5 or 7 days in 1 month or 10 or 15 days in 2 months).
- Interrail One Country Pass: focuses the journey on one country only, except for the country of residence.
The discount established for the Interrail Pass in the Young Summer 2024 programme will be 50% when marketed through Renfe and will be applied to the Global flexible option of 10 days in 2 months.
Non official translation