From 26 May it is possible that any person carrying one of the Basque transport cards can use it throughout the whole network of Euskotren, the trams and also on the Larreineta funicular.
On 26 May the Basque Government and Euskotren made the cards of the three historical territories of the Basque Country interoperable. Traditionally, each province had a different card: BAT (Araba / Álava), BARIK (Bizkaia) and MUGI (Gipuzkoa), and from now, the three different cards can be used on the Bilbao-Donostia-Hendaye railway line and the Amorebieta - Bermeo branch, operated by Euskotren.
The implementation of the single ticket shows that interoperability is a priority for the Department of Environment and Territorial Policy of the Basque Government. They have worked to take concrete steps in this ambitious plan that gradually allows the indiscriminate use of the three cards in the different means of transport of the region.
The Department will also implement the project in other means of transportation, such as DonostiBus (bus company in the city of San Sebastián), and, at the same time, other pilot projects will be implemented in the coming months. According to this, the different modes of transportation will be able to join the interoperability plan of the Basque Country.
Allowing the use of all the cards in the three provinces, the Basque Government tries to encourage the mobility of citizens, taking into account that future developments in the field of tariff integration in the three provinces are planned. According to the Basque Government, this new development will help to promote the use of public transportation for the population of the three provinces which will provide benefits in terms of sustainable mobility, establishing the same payment methods in all the Basque Country.
Euskotren is also working to implement this system on the line between Donostia/San Sebastián and Bayonne, within the framework of the Euro-region Aquitaine - Basque Country. It has to be said that there have been some steps forward in this direction, such as the creation of the “Passeusk” ticket.
For more information, please visit www.euskotren.eus
