The Government of Spain has announced the renewal of the successful “Verano Joven” initiative, which offers young people between the ages of 18 and 30 the possibility to travel with significant discounts on trains and buses during the summer months.
This measure, which benefited more than 1.13 million young people in 2023, returns to facilitate travel during June, July and August 2024.
Last summer, the “Verano Joven” campaign enabled young Spaniards to make more than four million trips between June 15 and September 15. Renfe, Spain’s leading railway company, sold more than two million passes during this period, representing 83.6% of the train tickets marketed under this initiative.
The most important discounts were 90% on conventional medium distance services and regular state-operated buses, and 50% on Avant and Interrail services.
Details of the Young Summer program for 2024
Although specific details of the 2024 edition are yet to be confirmed, discounts are expected to be similar to last year. These discounts will allow young people to enjoy reduced fares on various types of public transportation:
- 90% discount on single and round-trip tickets on medium distance and metric gauge trains.
- Avant services: 50% discount on single and round-trip tickets.
- Commercial or high-speed services: 50% discount on the ticket price, with a maximum of 30 euros per ticket.
- Regular state-owned buses: 90% discount on single and round-trip tickets.
- 50% discount when marketed through Renfe (Interrail Pass).
Requirements and application procedure
To qualify for these discounts, applicants must be born between January 1, 1993 and December 31, 2005, which includes all young people between the ages of 18 and 30. In addition, they must be Spanish citizens or have the nationality of a European Union country with legal residence in Spain.
The process for applying for discounts will be similar to last year. Interested parties must register through a form provided by the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda (Mitma) at least 24 hours before making the first ticket purchase.
Upon verification of the requirements, they will be provided with a personal and non-transferable Registration Code that will allow them to purchase tickets at the applicable discounts.
Impact and benefits of the initiative
The “Verano Joven” campaign also seeks to encourage the use of public transportation and contribute to a more sustainable mobility.
In the 2023 edition, 60% of the trips were made by rail, while the remaining 40% were by road. This distribution not only helped reduce carbon emissions and alleviated congestion on the roads during the peak travel season.
