The Government approves free public transport by 2026

PalmThe Governing Council formalized this Friday the agreement for the continuation of regional public transport through 2026, which includes intercity buses, trains, and the Mallorca metro. Government spokesperson Antoni Costa explained that the 100% discount on public transport fares for users of the single or intermodal card, which has been in place since 2023, will therefore be extended. He stated that this is a fund co-financed by the central government, which has contributed 63 million euros to transport. Costa welcomed the fact that Pedro Sánchez's government has increased resources for transport in the Balearic Islands, given that the central government's contribution in 2024 was 43 million euros. "We hope that the figure will be maintained or increased for 2026," he added. However, he emphasized that in 2024 the total cost of public transport in the Balearic Islands was €150 million, and therefore the regional government continues to allocate more than half of the total expenditure. "Public transport across the islands costs €100 million, especially Palma's EMT (municipal transport company)," he said. In this regard, the spokesperson insisted that the number of users continues to grow, and the forecast is that the overall cost of the service will be higher.

Review the VTC (ride-hailing) ruling

Meanwhile, Costa has announced that he will appeal the ruling by the Balearic Islands High Court (TSJIB) that overturns the revocation of 600 ride-hailing vehicle (VTC) licenses issued by the previous government. The government considers the ruling, which requires the applications to be processed again, to be "unfair" to the taxi sector.