TIB buses are among the services that are free to residents. | MDB

TW
7

According to the Balearic minister of mobility, José Luis Mateo, the regional government has assumed 80% of the total cost of the free travel scheme in the Balearics in 2024. The total is put at 54.3 million euros, and the minister says that contributions from the Spanish Government amount to just 14.6 million. (This means the percentage is lower than the one given by the minister.)

The regional government is guaranteeing free travel but is demanding that Madrid comes up with the full financing. The minister adds that the allocations for both 2023 and 2024 have been insufficient.

Related news

When the Spanish Government announced free public transport two years ago, it set a sum of 43 million euros per annum for the Balearics, an amount that was considered to be insufficient in 2023 and more so in 2024.

On December 19, Mateo wrote to the minister of transport, Óscar Puente, demanding an increase in state funding for public transport.

It may be that the Balearic Government has only received what amounts to a third of the set allocation for 2024, but this doesn't necessarily mean that it won't receive the full amount. However, the lateness of the payment has been and continues to be an issue, one that Palma Town Hall has made clear. The funding for EMT buses comes from what is paid to the government.