In Barcelona, You Can Trade Your Car for Unlimited Free Public Transport

Barcelona may be most popular for its Antoni Gaudi landmarks, the city’s best selling points in terms of tourism. But from a local perspective, there’s more to appreciate in Barcelona than just its artistic culture. Transportation and green spaces are huge factors in determining the happiness of a city’s population, and Barcelona has been working hard to keep up with its fellow EU nations that are reducing the use of cars in favour of the environment. 

Also read: Spain Will Plant Half a Million Trees Around Madrid to Lower Heat Levels

Image credit: Ruggiero Calabrese

Trade a car for free transport in Barcelona

Image credit: Logan Armstrong

In case you didn’t know, Barcelona already has a policy called No Car Days, where certain districts in the city close down to cars from 10am to 2pm to remind everyone that good practices in terms of mobility can promote air quality. On top of that, pedestrians and cyclists get to reclaim public streets too.

Now, Barcelona has launched another pro-environment initiative with the T-verda ticket. This ticket is given to locals who trade in their cars so that they can have a three-year free pass on any public transportation system. The use is limitless within those three years. 

Thanks to the T-verda ticket, Barcelona has already seen a reduction of more than 12,000 vehicles on the road. It helps that the city has plenty of choices when it comes to public transport like metros, trams, and buses. 

According to the TMB website, “There are two types of T-Verda card, one for users residing in the AMB area and one for those residing in other towns in the integrated fare system.” If you live in the Barcelona Metropolitan Area, you can apply for your T-verda on the AMB website. Those  outside the 36 municipalities of the AMB area should apply via the Metropolitan Transport Authority website.

Also read: Europe Might Soon Have Sleeper Trains Connecting London and Barcelona

Barcelona’s T-verda card is the first of its kind in the world, but there are similar initiatives across Europe. In Finland and France, for example, you can trade your car for an electric bike. In Luxembourg, public transport is already free for everyone. How’s that for reducing carbon footprint and reclaiming public spaces?

Next time you’re in Barcelona, observe just how many locals are taking advantage of the free transport initiatives!

Featured image credit: Denise Jones | Unsplash