The Basque Parliament has rejected a proposal by EH Bildu that urged the Basque Government to "assume subsidiarily" the funding of public transport discounts that might be left without full or partial support from the State in 2027.
The motion by the abertzale coalition was rejected this Thursday at the Plenary of the regional chamber, after collecting 47 votes against (PNV, PSE-EE, PP and Vox) and 28 in favor (EH Bildu and Sumar).
In its text, EH Bildu called on the regional executive to "defend and promote" within the Autoridad del Transporte de Euskadi the continuity of discounts in public transport for 2027. At present, these cuts are funded with 20% provided by the Government of Spain, 10% by the Basque Government, and another 10% by the provincial councils (diputaciones forales).
For this reason, the sovereigntist formation proposed putting in place the necessary economic instruments to ensure in 2027 the continuity of public transport discount policies in Álava, Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa. Specifically, it called on the Basque Government to "assume subsidiarily the financing of the discounts that may be left without financing, in full or in part, by other public administrations, so that this situation does not have a direct economic impact on users".
The text also urged the executive to apply and develop Article 26 of the Law on sustainable mobility, which regulates a common discount system for public transport in Euskadi, "in accordance with criteria of habitual use and income levels of users".
In addition, it proposed that, within the Autoridad del Transporte de Euskadi and in coordination with the provincial councils (diputaciones forales), transport consortia, and the rest of the competent institutions, a harmonised scheme of discounts and bonuses for the entire Basque Autonomous Community be defined and implemented, taking as reference the MUGI model of Gipuzkoa and the incentive system linked to habituality.
According to the motion, this model should "move toward a progressive tariff system based on habitual use and the income of users, in order to guarantee greater social equity, more efficient use of public resources, and an effective boost to the use of public transport in the three historic territories".
NEW MANAGEMENT MODEL
EH Bildu’s proposal also demanded that the Government present to Parliament, within a maximum period of six months, progress on defining the management model and on the technical, administrative, and interoperability developments necessary for its implementation, as well as a detailed schedule, with the purpose of putting it into operation before the end of the legislative term.
At the same time, several amendments were debated. That of the PP was rejected. In it, the conservatives asked the Basque Government to provide Euskadi with "its own tariff system, stable and sufficiently funded, which does not depend each year on state extensions of a temporary nature and which offers certainty to users and operators before the start of each financial year."
The PP also requested that the tariff scheme be reviewed, "paying special attention to groups that depend the most on public transport," including young people, older people, people with disabilities, large families, and frequent users, "moving toward progressive passes and discounts based on usage frequency that make regular travelers loyal beyond temporary discounts."
YOUNG PEOPLE AND MINORS
Sumar’s amendment also did not move forward, which required the Basque Executive to guarantee, in coordination with the rest of the competent administrations and within the framework of the Autoridad del Transporte de Euskadi, the maintenance throughout 2027 of the current public transport bonifications, "preserving as a minimum the general discount of 40%, the youth discount of 50%, and free travel for children under 15 years of age."
Sumar also called for, within the Autoridad del Transporte de Euskadi, the establishment of "a framework for shared financing between the Basque Government, the foral provincial councils, and the town councils, in accordance with their respective competences, that guarantees the maintenance of the bonifications."
The amendment contemplated that, if there were a reduction or withdrawal of the State’s contributions, the Basque institutions would assume jointly the necessary funding, "without passing its cost on to users."
Finally, the joint amendment of PNV and PSE-EE moved forward, approved with 39 votes in favor from both parties, 28 against (EH Bildu and Sumar) and eight abstentions (PP and Vox). The text calls on all the institutions and entities with competencies in public transport to maintain the discounts on fares, "as long as the conditions set out in the state regulation that allows establishing the discount on transport are maintained".
In the event that the conditions established in the state regulations that enable these discounts are altered, the amendment establishes that all these institutions "undertake to maintain the 20% discount on fares for personalized transport tickets and passes", a commitment that has already been assumed within the Autoridad del Transporte de Euskadi.
Likewise, the approved text calls for accelerating the definition, planning, and implementation of a discount system "progressive and definitive based on income and the use of public transport".