\ The free travel with the Intermodal Card on the train, the subway and the interurban bus of Mallorca will be maintained during January of 2024.

\ The government demands to the Ministry the extension of the state subsidy for all the islands for 2024, as it has been agreed in the case of the Canary Islands.

Free public transport service

The Consell de Govern, at the proposal of the Councilor of Housing, Territory and Mobility, Marta Vidal, has approved the agreement extending the free public transport of autonomous competence -the train, metro and intercity bus services of Mallorca- during January 2024, applying a 100% bonus to trips made with the Intermodal Card, pending the pronouncement of the Government of Spain on the request to extend for the whole year 2024 the state subsidy for the financing of free public transport in all the islands established for 2023, which ends on December 31.

The Govern de las Illes Balears has transferred to the central Executive the request to maintain for the whole year 2024 the state funding to continue with the free public transport in the whole of the Balearic Islands, as it has been politically agreed in the case of the Canary Islands for next year, taking into account that this measure was established for both archipelagos for 2023, through the General State Budget for 2023. In the case of the Balearic Islands, it is a subsidy of 43 million euros, which corresponds to 2023 and ends next December 31.

During this year, in recognition of the insular fact, the Autonomous Community of the Balearic Islands has been the beneficiary of a subsidy of 43 million euros, for the establishment of a 100% discount on the price of transport passes and multi-journey tickets for public collective land transport in the Balearic Islands during the year 2023. This amount includes the state funding for free transport both in the case of regional transport (train, metro and intercity bus of Mallorca) and buses of the EMT of Palma and the island councils of Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera.

On the part of the Government of the Balearic Islands, given that, for now, there is no evidence of the approval of new state aid for land transport, it is considered necessary to extend, for January 2024, the free travel made with the Intermodal Card in the TIB intercity bus network, the train and the metro of Mallorca. At the same time, the claim made on several occasions to the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility to extend the state funding necessary for free public transport on all the islands for the whole of 2024 is maintained.

As for the economic impact of the extension of free travel during January, in the trips made with the Intermodal Card in the TIB intercity bus network, the train and the metro of Mallorca, it is estimated that 1.08 million will not be collected. In addition, the Autonomous Community usually assumes the cost of the bonuses established for certain groups, which is estimated at 1.3 million for January.

In the state subsidy from the Government of Spain for the financing of free travel with the Intermodal Card in 2023, for these transport services in Mallorca (interurban bus, train and metro), 14.6 million are allocated for the whole year, even though current forecasts show that the loss of income will be higher and will be around 18 million.

The state subsidy of 43 million for public transport in the Balearic Islands as a whole for 2023 includes, in addition to the 14.6 million earmarked for intercity bus, train and metro in Mallorca, funding for free public transport under the jurisdiction of other administrations of the islands: 18.8 million correspond to the EMT municipal bus network in Palma, and the rest goes to the islands’ bus services, managed by the island councils of Ibiza (5.6 million), Menorca (3.5 million) and Formentera (0.4 million).

On behalf of the Government of the Balearic Islands, the Minister of Housing, Territory and Mobility, Marta Vidal, has conveyed to the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility the concern about the political agreements reached for the investiture of President Pedro Sánchez, and in particular for what establishes the extension of the total state subsidy of public transport in the Canary Islands for 2024 and has demanded the same treatment for the Balearic Islands as a whole, so that state funding is approved to extend the free public transport in both archipelagos, as already established for the year 2023.