Taking the bus in Cartagena is more expensive starting today

Beginning Today, Tuesday, July 1st, the cost of taking the bus in Cartagena’s city centre will increase. For example, each bus ticket will now cost 0.45 cents rather than 0.30, and the large family ticket rate would rise from 10 to 15 cents. The reason for the increase is that the federal government provides fewer subsidies.

According to City Hall, the Local Government Board will accept the bill on Thursday, and it will be effective until December 31st of this year.

Noelia Arroyo, the leader of the City Council, asserted that “the fares stay unchanged; the only change is the discount.” In this regard, they explained that “there are new discounts, such as children under 14 not having to pay,” and that a ticket without the discount would be even more expensive: 0.75 cents.

The new urban public transport tariffs include a 40% savings on season and multi-ride passes. For example, each bus pass “costs 45 cents, an additional 15 cents; retirees pay 33 cents, an additional 12 cents; and special large families pay 15 cents.”

Diego Ortega, Councillor for Infrastructure, believes that the burden for citizens having to pay more to ride the bus falls with Pedro Sánchez’s government, since “the City Council continues to provide the necessary funds to maintain discounts and not harm users,” according to municipal sources. Thus, “while the central government fails to pay what it owes, Cartagena continues to push the envelope to ensure that citizens don’t pay double for an essential public service,” the councillor who was cited said.

Ortega denied that “it’s not fair that Cartagena residents pay twice for a service that the state should be funding” as well as stating that “we continue to support public transport, but we demand that the central government do its part.”

It is worth noting that the 60 percent discount on city bus passes was extended until June 30 of this year. “This measure is in line with the Spanish government’s decision to extend it, which was contemplated to address the economic and social consequences of the war in Ukraine,” municipal sources told me at the time.

Arroyo then stated that the cost of the discount, which is believed to be around two million, would be split evenly between the state and the port city’s City Council, and that each journey on the general ticket would remain 30 cents (it will now cost 45 cents).

Reinforced frequency

In contrast, the Cartagena City Council emphasises that “the frequency of the most popular lines has increased, especially during peak hours, benefiting areas such as La Manga and Cabo de Palos in particular, with specific discounts and improved connections to the city centre.”

“In addition, 14 bus stops have been modernised with new shelters equipped with real-time digital information screens, USB chargers, Wi-Fi connectivity, NaviLens codes, and mini recycling stations,” says the government’s team.

“Thanks to these improvements, urban bus use has increased by 16% in the last two years, surpassing 7 million trips by 2024,” the city council announces.