Completing its deployment on 1,959 routes in Castilla y León in May 2022, the free rural demand transport vouchers are close to 200,000 trips in the last year. The initiative, which allows people to travel for free through community areas, is being used mostly by older people, in fact 90 per cent are over the age of 50, according to figures from the Ministry of Mobility and Digital Transformation According to The Icicle Agency.
Since its deployment began in Fuentes de Oñoro (Salamanca) in March 2021, the board progressively implemented the vouchers in the community, reaching 123 on-demand transport zones in May last year. It is part of a commitment to public mobility that caters to rural areas as a measure of “positive discrimination” and to recover the population in the area.
This voucher, which allows free and unlimited travel through on-demand transport zones, is mainly used by older people in rural areas. In fact, according to information handled by Mobility, nine out of ten users are people over 50 and six out of ten are over 65. Furthermore, they are mostly women, as they represent two thirds of all passengers.
The second most populous and largest territorial extension is Leon province, which recorded the largest number of rural voucher visits between May 2022 and April 2023. Available route. It was followed by Salamanca, with 40,410 trips in its 12 regions and 242 routes, and Ávila, with 30,931 for its 12 regions and 164 routes.
Fourth place is for Burgos, where on-demand rural vouchers added 20,075 passengers on 243 routes from 13 transport zones. The province of Palencia also recorded 16,698 trips to its eleven regions on its 204 routes, and 15,017 trips to Valladolid on its 201 routes. Rural vouchers were also used in 11,134 trips from Zamora; 9,343 from Soria and 6,930 from Segovia.
Free Rural Demand Vouchers allow free and unlimited travel in demand transport zones. It is easy to use for both young and old through the physical card, which can be purchased upon reaching the bus with a cost of five euros, or through an application (for Android or iOS, Google Play or Apple Store From: Castilla y Leon Demand Bond), previously downloaded to the phone, which generates a personal and non-transferrable QR code that must be shown to the driver to access the bus.
The travel reservation service can be done by the free telephone number 900 204 020 or through the website: www.reservastransportedemandajcyl.es
Transport Policy.
In September 2022, the Governing Council of the Junta approved a decree giving the green light to the new map for the management of public road passenger transport in Castilla y León, having among its bases a leading role of transport service on demand, the whole autonomous Increase the number of potential users in the community to 1.7 million.
During this year 2023, free vouchers will be maintained for all users who request them, thanks to an investment of more than 4.5 million euros, fully paid for by the Junta de Castilla y León and used to cover the losses generated by will be done for transport formula, as well as the free system, which has been taken as a model by some studies of European universities.
