the plane could board, the subscription is maintained and the single ticket arrives, without high speed that becomes more expensive

New year, new transportation rates… or not. According to the different measures that the central Government, autonomous communities and city councils have taken and those that, eventually, private companies may take or continue to take, in the next 12 months it is expected that, at least in the large cities, the price of transport passes and other urban travel tickets or that regular travelers from coach and of train have a break with two new bonuses that come into force with the new year, the single ticket and the ‘Pass Via’. Depending on the decisions made by the airlines and railway operators, the prices of Airline and high-speed tickets could go up.

Urban transport, transport pass

One of the last decisions that the Government made in 2025 was extend discounts in force last year for public transport, although with a difference, securing only the state budget for this, specifically, 1,370 million euros.

This means that the monthly rate for traveling in Cercanías of 20 euros per month and 10 for users under 26 years of age or the free transport pass for users up to 14 years old and a 50% discount for those between 15 and 26.

The Ministry of Transport introduced certainty in the case of transport passes for the general public because in 2026 it will maintain the 20% bonus of its amount but without conditioning it on this occasion to the regional governments providing another additional discount of at least 20%, which meant that in 2025 the discounts had to be at least 40%.

Despite this, in large cities such as Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Valencia or Sevillethe price of the transport pass for adults will remain unchanged because their different regional governments last year announced a contribution identical to the one that existed in 2025, so that the price of the transport pass will continue to be subsidized at 40%.

Coaches and regional trains under the new single ticket

He January 19 will start working single ticket of transport, which will be a fixed rate of 60 euros per month – 30 euros for those over 26 years old – and which will allow unlimited travel for 30 days on all trains of Media Distancia and all Cercanías centers, as well as in all coaches of routes under the Ministry’s jurisdiction and run through the territories of different autonomous communities.

The Minister of Transport, Oscar Puenterecognized that this It is not the scope that was in mind when two years ago he started working on the design of a rate that already exists in Germany or Austriabecause it only includes state-owned means of transport that, in principle, are not taken as frequently as urban transport.

In fact, the Government itself estimates that two million beneficiaries of the ticket, which in 2026 will begin to check if it is possible to add more means of transport for the fixed monthly rate of 60 and 30 euros and if communities and town councils decide to sign agreements for this with the Ministry.

The closest thing to a work pass for the train

The year also begins with a novelty for traveling by Medium Distance train at high speed, in the service Renfe Avant. In a decision that Frequent users describe it as “historic” because it is the closest thing to the work pass that train users have been demanding for years, allowing them, for example, to live in Valladolid or Segovia and go to work in Madrid. This 2026 starts rolling “Via Pass” a new subscription for 10 trips in 45 days or 20 each quarter that will have a starting discount of 50% on the price of each ticket and another additional one of at least 45% that will be progressive depending on the trips made. If this minimum number of trips is not reached, it will be necessary to pay the difference of those not made up to 20.

Unlike other Avant passes, which are now eliminated, the Vía Pass is not a closed voucher that blocks the purchase of tickets because, although they will have to buy in advance, it will be possible to cancel trips if they are not going to be carried out and not will be charged individually until the day of the trip.

Payment by card for each trip will allow Renfe to keep track of the trips already made increase the discount depending on the quantity. The Vía Pass allows you to make four round trips a day, it is nominative and non-transferable and to acquire it it is necessary to make a free subscription each quarter – starting 30 days before it begins – on the Renfe website.

High Speed ​​Trains

More uncertain is what will happen in 2026 with the price of tickets to travel by High Speed ​​train, in a context in which The days when Renfe, Ouigo and Iryo tried to attract users seem over with rates at rock bottom, as we began to see clearly in 2025. For this year, the sector admits that the upward trend will continue, although operators will continue to maintain commercial offers on a timely basis.

According to a study by the ticket purchasing platform Trainlinebetween September 2024 and September 2025, prices for traveling by High Speed ​​between Madrid and Barcelona rose by 40%, and even though the end of this line of Renfe’s low-cost service, Avlo, had not yet begun to be calculated. On the contrary, a CNMC report published in the summer found the drop of around 30% of the price of tickets between Madrid and Andalusia, where the arrival of Ouigo and Iryo is more recent.

Also contributing to the uncertainty of how the price of High Speed Rail may evolve is the question of whether Renfe – and, eventually, also Ouigo and Iryo – will have to modify their commitment to punctuality, to start compensating passengers for delays no longer of 30 and 90 minutes, but from 15 minutes, as provided for Renfe by the Sustainable Mobility Law, in a provision that, although it came into force this Thursday, has been stopped by the Ministry and the State Advocacy. If it has to be applied, the president of Renfe, Álvaro Fernández Heredia, warned a few days ago that ticket prices could increase by 10%.

Plane

For its part, 2026 begins with changes in the airline sector, with the rise of a 6.5% of airport taxesafter being frozen for years.

The decision has the frontal rejection of the airlines, which spent a good part of 2025 trying to stop it by warning AENA that this increase in the costs of using airports is would affect the price of tickets.