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Date Published: 19/12/2024

Scandal revealed as Renfe hiked train prices by 10 per cent just before summer discount scheme

A study has revealed that during the summer discount period the price of train fares actually went up

According to a recent study, Spanish rail operator Renfe took the opportunity to raise the prices of its High Speed (AVE) train tickets during the summer in which it was offering discounts to young people throughout Spain.

The ‘Verano Joven’ programme is a bonus plan that the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility launched for the first time in 2023 to encourage the use of the train among young people aged 18 to 30 in Spain.

In that first edition, the plan was in force between June 15 and September 15 and included discounts of 90% on the price of coach tickets and 50% on Avant, Larga Distancia and AVE trains.

During 2023, when the first of the two editions of the Verano Joven programme began, which encouraged young people to take the trains by giving a 50% discount, Renfe decided to hike up the prices of the cheapest fares.

This has been indicated in a study conducted by Esade, which analyses whether in 2023 the programme was effective in its purpose to encourage young people to use the train and bus services because of the discounted prices.

The study was carried out with data collected by Renfe itself and concludes that train occupancy increased and also that prices fell, although not so much that tickets cost only 50% of their usual price, because the Spanish operator raised them by between 10% on the basic rate.

As a result, the study has revealed that not only did young people between 18 and 30 years old not enjoy their full discount, but the price increase affected those who could not benefit from the discounts.

The Esade study stated, “We can conclude that the Verano Joven caused an increase in the occupancy of basic type seats of around 3.5% in 2023.”

In regards to the hiking of ticket prices, the price increase for the Basic rate was 10% and the most expensive rates, Comfort and Premium, increased by 6% and 5% respectively. The study concluded that the initiative “has caused a significant increase in the prices of the tickets which are most used by those over 30 years old”.

Nevertheless, it should be remembered that young people during this period still received a discount of around 40% compared to the normal price of a ticket. However, many still see this as not acceptable, because if they were over the age bracket it meant they had to pay 10% more than they should have paid.

Given that the programme was repeated this summer, Esade has a couple of improvements for possible future editions. The main improvement would be that the discount should not affect flat line prices. Moreover, the study believes that the discounts should be a fixed amount that all can benefit from even if they are not part of the Verano Joven programme.

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