Pedro Sánchez announces the incorporation of the bicycle into public transport subsidies with an allocation of €40 million

Headquarters of the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Madrid

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, during his speech at the presentation of the new campaign to promote the use of public transport (Pool Moncloa/Fernando Calvo)

This was announced during the Ministry for Transport and Sustainable Mobility presentation of the new campaign to promote the use of public transport, which was attended by the Minister for Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Óscar Puente.

Pedro Sánchez announced that the Government will allocate €20 million to extend the public bicycle systems already in place in different cities to other municipalities. Specifically, €10 million will be earmarked for lowering the fares of existing systems, such as BiciMad in Madrid and Bicing in Barcelona, and another €10 million for bringing this offer to other cities that do not yet have it. "We are going to make a firm commitment to the use of bicycles in cities", said the President of the Government.

The Government will also subsidise with an additional €20 million the purchase of pedal-assisted bicycles for everyday mobility, in a programme from which both private individuals and urban goods delivery companies will be able to benefit. "The aim is to increase the modal share of bicycles in everyday journeys, and for there to be more bicycles in more cities for more people", said Pedro Sánchez, who recalled that 35% of Spaniards opt for this transport alternative, according to the latest report by the Cetelem Observatory.

Appeal to mayors: "Spain needs more public transport"

He called on mayors across the country to join in promoting this "fantastic" mobility alternative for some journeys in some cities, especially at certain times of the year. The Government will support mayors and municipalities that are committed to bicycles "with laws and economic resources", thereby aligning itself with the foreseeable changes in transport and mobility in cities, where "there will be more car sharing, more public buses, more metros and trams, more motorbikes and bicycles", making cities "healthier, cleaner, more agile and more welcoming".

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, and the Minister for Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Óscar Puente, at the presentation of the campaign to promote the use of public transport | Pool Moncloa/Fernando Calvo

During the presentation of the new campaign, Pedro Sánchez argued that investing in public transport is "investing in economic development, in a healthy planet, in more cohesive cities and in people's wellbeing", which is why he called for "efficient and accessible" public transport to be used more than private transport. "Spain needs more public transport", emphasised Pedro Sánchez, who was delighted to announce the promotion of a "change in the culture of mobility" thanks to the measures adopted to modernise infrastructures and means of transport, achieving a sustained increase in the use of trains, buses and metros. In fact, last July 423 million journeys in Spain were made on public transport , almost 8% more than in the previous month, with an increase in the number of metro, bus and especially rail users.

These figures follow the coalition government's firm commitment to invest close to €2 billion over the last two years. Among other initiatives, the executive has subsidised more than 50% of the multi-journey tickets for urban transport, and launched the youth summer campaign so that those aged between 18 and 30 can travel around Spain and Europe with discounts of up to 90%. The Government has also established temporary free travel on Renfe's Cercanías and medium-distance services, as well as on the regional and local transport network in the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands. This is a measure described by Sanchez as "historic" to help citizens in the worst moments of the inflationary crisis caused by COVID-19 and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Inflation falls to 2.3% in August: "Spain is heading in the right direction"

The chief executive has also valued the drop in inflation from 10% at the beginning of the inflationary crisis and the war in Ukraine to 2.3% in August, a figure published today by the National Statistics Institute, which "demonstrates the success of our economic policy and the protection of incomes we have been promoting since the beginning of the war". "Spain is moving in the right direction with more growth and employment, lower inflation and control of public accounts", he added.

Non official translation