The Council of Ministers has given the green light to a royal decree that authorizes the direct granting of four subsidies aimed at covering the collective public transport of Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, and the Canary Islands during 2026. The total amount amounts to 363.7 million euros, the same amount set for 2025.
In detail, the funds are aimed at covering regular passenger public transport in the metropolitan area of the Regional Transport Consortium of Madrid, which will receive 126.89 million euros, from the Metropolitan Transport Authority of Barcelona, with 149.30 million euros, and from the Metropolitan Transport Authority of Valencia, which will have 40 million euros. Additionally, a contribution of 47.5 million euros is planned for the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands.
Regular passenger transport in these metropolitan and insular areas is characterized by concentrating a high user population, registering a high intensity of movements, and requiring the intervention of different administrations in its organization, which means that its operation has a direct impact on general economic activity and on numerous sectors.
Moreover, this public transport system is considered an essential public service, as it decisively influences the ordinary development of citizens' daily activities and a wide range of economic, professional, and social activities.
The Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility maintains that the need to guarantee the mobility of a very high number of people supports this injection of resources, which facilitates the daily functioning of this essential public service.
The recipients of the aid have a period of ten working days from the entry into force of the royal decree to register their applications and provide the required documentation. The Administration will have a maximum of forty-five working days to communicate the granting resolution.