What happened on 7 October 2026?
María Fernández, Director General for Transport and Mobility of the Canary Islands Government, called on the Spanish state on 7 October 2026 to extend the free travel scheme for 2027. A meeting of the Commission of Directors General for Land Transport ended without any commitment beyond 31 December.
Fernández warned, according to Canarias Ahora, that the situation is creating uncertainty. If the decree does not progress after 29 November, the Canary Islands could be left without the 100% discount that allows regular users to travel free on public land transport.
The Director General argued that the extension is legally possible. She said it is not a new measure but the continuation of an existing policy. She called for the extension to be processed "in time and in form".
Who is entitled to free travel?
The scheme applies to season tickets and multi-journey cards for public collective land transport. This includes buses, known as guaguas in the Canary Islands, as well as the tram services operating on the islands. The discount is 100%.
Single tickets, return tickets and tourist passes are not covered. This is set out in the background information from the Canary Islands Government. For residents, foreign residents and visitors, the existing free season tickets remain in place until 31 December 2026.
For 2027, prices, eligibility requirements, application procedures and deadlines have not yet been set. No concrete new fare structure or application date was mentioned in the available official information.
How is the funding arranged?
State funding provides for an advance payment of 65% of the subsidy for 2026. The final settlement is due to take place in 2027. The Canary Islands Government had submitted the required documentation from the island administrations to the Ministry of Transport.
According to the government, budget funds were still outstanding as of 7 October 2026, having been justified at the end of September. The actual cost is more than 140 million euros a year, according to consejero Pablo Rodríguez.
State funding for 2026 is around 120 million euros, of which 65% is paid as an advance. The 78 million euros is the amount paid for 2025.
Why is a decree needed?
Under the state regulation, the measure is legally secured only for 2026, specifically until 31 December 2026. The Canary Islands had to prove actual implementation by 31 January 2026 and commit to maintaining it until the end of the year.
Because elections have been called and the parliamentary chambers dissolved, an extension decree would, if necessary, have to be approved by the Permanent Deputation of the Congress of Deputies. Fernández considers this legally possible because, in her assessment, it is the continuation of an existing measure.
The Permanent Deputation is the body that takes on the urgent tasks of parliament between electoral periods. No binding extension date has been published.
What does this mean for users from January 2027?
Without a new state decree, the current 100% discount will end on 1 January 2027. Users would then have to pay again for season tickets and multi-journey cards. What prices would then apply has not been published.
The Canary Islands Government wants to secure the extension through the Ministry of Transport. Given the electoral calendar, the Permanent Deputation could also be brought in. The decisive period is the expiry of the current scheme on 31 December 2026.
Until then, free travel remains in place under the existing rules. There is still no confirmed decision on whether, and at what level, the free travel scheme will continue in 2027.
What about the single travel pass?
The Canary Islands Government is working on the Título Único de Transporte en Canarias project, a single travel pass for the entire archipelago. It would allow users to travel across all islands on guaguas or trams with a single bono.
The Directorate General for Transport and Mobility handed over a budget allocation to the Cabildos so they can adapt their technology and integrate the new application. The next step is a public tender for a pilot test.
In December, citizens who meet the requirements will be able to try out the pilot technology and travel across several islands with the Título Único Canario. The government did not give an exact start date.