Partido Popular members of Congress for the Balearics are wanting to know if the Spanish Government will be subsidising public transport in the Balearics in 2025. The government introduced 'free' transport for residents in 2023, but it is currently unclear whether it will continue to be free next year.
The Balearic minister for mobility, José Luis Mateo, said in parliament earlier this week that there was "still no news" from Madrid. He added that the regional government hasn't yet received the 43 million euros of subsidy for 2024 and has therefore had to meet all the cost of the free transport on the promise that it will be reimbursed.
Spain's transport minister, Óscar Puente, has a month to respond to questions lodged by the PP members, there having been an assumption that transport will no longer be free in 2025. The Balearic Government's budgets for next year don't take account of a free service, and nor do Palma Town Hall's.
But these budgets could always be amended, which was the case for 2024. On December 27, 2023, the Spanish Government approved the spending on subsidised transport.
At one point it did appear as if Palma had in any event rejected free transport for 2024. The mobility councillor, Antonio Deudero, was critical of the slowness in receiving the subsidy and argued that it wasn't sufficient. He still does argue this. The Balearic Government, while it has also been critical of Madrid, has been keener in maintaining the free service than Palma.