Public transport financing marks the future of sustainable mobility in Spain

The Secretary General for Sustainable Mobility of the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Álvaro Fernández, said this morning at Global Mobility Call that to achieve sustainable mobility, it is crucial that ‘there is more and better public transport’, for which it is necessary to attract passengers with aid and a policy of subsidies to improve supply, as well as favouring vulnerable groups.

Fernández made these statements at the round table ‘Financing sustainable mobility: challenges and opportunities’, moderated by Alsa, as part of Global Mobility Call, an event organised by IFEMA MADRID and Smobhub. To this end, he mentioned support for the offer to co-finance it with the operators, if they sustain it over time with affordable fares and if this leads to the improvement of fleets and routes, as well as other actions to encourage the use of bicycles and to pedestrianise areas.

For his part, the deputy spokesman for the Socialist Group in the Senate, Alfonso Gil, who declared himself to be a ‘staunch’ defender of public transport, advocated that there should be no political differences in this common objective, as it is a priority for everyone, aimed at a future with greater life expectancy.

‘A public-private culture is necessary to finance decarbonisation measures, and to look to the future, sustainable mobility is essential, as with less smoke and less noise there will be greater healthiness’, added Gil, who also defended the subsidising of public transport for young people and other vulnerable groups and, in general, so that it is seen as useful by society.

Lucía Blanco, Deputy Director General for Prospective and Energy Statistics of the Ministry for Energy Transition and the Demographic Challenge, also took part in the round table, and agreed on the need for integrated governance between administrations and operators to balance fares. In this regard, the deputy director general added that the objective of decarbonisation by 2030 necessarily involves increasing the performance of public transport. Regarding the energy reform of the European Climate Law, she pointed out that it incorporates the tax on fuels that obliges actors to report emissions, which will come into force in 2027.

‘These revenues are very important, in addition to moving towards sustainable sustainability, to alleviate the effects on the vulnerable population and to facilitate public transport for households living in poverty’.

                                                                                                                           

*Content provided by Agencia EFE