The Basque institutions, willing to maintain the discount for public transport at least until June

The basque citizenship has been since september paying half for public transport, in what is a measure to combat inflation and which is insured until December 31. Thus, with just over a month to go before the end of that period, the Question is if As of January 1, 2023, the Basques will be able to continue counting on this discount; The answer, as of November 24, is that the institutions of the BAC, including the Basque Government, have clearly expressed their opinion in favor of it being sotheir willingness to keep public transportation half the cost, at least until junewith what everything indicates that it will be like that.

The question is that It is not defined who is going to bear the cost of the half that citizens do not pay. Until the end of the year, the Government of Spain subsidizes 30% of the cost of each trip on public transport, while Basque institutions assume the remaining 20%: 10% the Basque Government, and another 10% the Diputaciones de Álava, Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa, or, in the case of urban buses, the Town Halls. Nevertheless, The Spanish Executive has not announced, at least for the moment, that it is going to extend its 30% aid beyond December 31; We do know that the Renfe Cercanías trains will continue to be free throughout 2023, but the Spanish Executive has not announced any reduction for public transport that is not within its competence.

In an interview on ‘Boulevard’, on Radio Euskadi, the Minister of Economy and Finance of the Basque Government, Pedro Azpiazu, estimated the total amount of the 50% aid at around 72 million euros, and stated that his Department will assume the financing of transport aid that the Basque institutions decide for 2023, but has warned that “it would not be desirable” to maintain them “without further criteria”, and has specified that they should be reviewed at the end of the first half of the year, after analyzing the inflation situation. In this sense, the Basque Parliament has urged the Basque Government to extend the 50% discounts during 2023, with an evaluation after six months to discuss whether or not the conditions that motivated them continue to apply.

So, in the whole of the Basque Autonomous Community, the Basque Government has made clear its intention to do everything in its power to maintain the subsidy and so that this subsidy continues to be 50%; Councilor Azpiazu, yes, has specified that “it is up to the Basque Transport Authority and other institutions” to establish the percentage of financing, and to his Department “to seek, in any case, the resources, the financing to make this possible”. The Basque Transport Authority plans to meet at the beginning of December.

By territories

Analyzing the situation by historical territories, alava It already has an item included in its budget for 2023 that ensures that it continues with the discounts.

In the same situation is Gipuzkoa, which has provided 12 million for this in 2023, triple that of the previous year, as pointed out by the general deputy, Markel Olano, in ‘Faktoria’, of Euskadi Irratia. The regional deputy for Mobility, Rafaela Romero, has also been in favor of maintaining the 50% discount during 2023, whether it is subsidized by the Government of Spain or not.

Biscay, although it does not have it included in any budget item, it has approved in General Meetings to urge the Provincial Council to extend in 2023 the 50% discount on public transport fares in the territory, regardless of the source of its financing. In the capital, Bilbao, the plenary session of the City Council approved this Thursday to maintain during 2023 the current 50% discounts for transport in Bilbobus and in the Artxanda Funicular.