The Galician Government will not pay the Community of Madrid to subsidise transport for Galicians registered in the capital, considering that the agreement is not reciprocal, as Madrilenians benefit from the same services in Galicia.
The Regional Transport Consortium of Madrid (CRTM) has received a firm rejection from the Xunta of Galicia. The Minister of the Presidency, Diego Calvo, announced this Thursday that his Government will not sign the agreement proposed by Madrid to subsidise public transport for Galicians living in the capital, arguing that the text lacks reciprocity. The decision leaves the situation of thousands of citizens who reside in Madrid but maintain their registration in Galicia up in the air.
The lack of reciprocity, key to the disagreement
Calvo explained that Madrilenians who visit or reside temporarily in Galicia enjoy the same public services as Galicians, including transport, at no additional cost. However, the agreement sent by Madrid in June did not include a similar arrangement for Galicians registered in the Community of Madrid. "They do not allow reciprocity to be introduced," denounced the minister, who described the proposal as "unacceptable."
The initiative originated from the Madrid president, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, who aims to withdraw transport subsidies for those not registered in Madrid. This would mean that Galicians residing in the capital would go from paying a monthly pass of between 10 and 49 euros (depending on age) to paying 1.5 euros for each journey on the metro, bus, or commuter train. A measure that, according to the Xunta, penalises those who, living in Madrid, have not changed their tax residence.
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We have different ways of managing transport and, after studying the text, we saw that reciprocity was impossible because it did not take into account that there are many people registered in Madrid who benefit from the same conditions as Galicians when they are here," Calvo stated at an event in Abegondo (A Coruña).
The precedent of Rueda and the summer reinforcement
The Galician president, Alfonso Rueda, already warned in June that they would demand reciprocity to sign any agreement. At that time, Rueda emphasised that, although the negotiations were limited to transport, Galicia reinforces services such as healthcare in summer to cater to visiting Madrilenians, without them paying extra. An imbalance that, in his view, justifies the refusal.
The Xunta's decision represents a setback for Ayuso's plan, which sought to unify criteria with other communities to prevent non-registered individuals from benefiting from subsidised passes. Madrid has already signed similar agreements with Castilla-La Mancha and Castilla y León, but the clash with Galicia highlights the difficulties of implementing a measure that affects thousands of citizens who live in one region but maintain their official residence in another.
What happens now with Galicians in Madrid?
As long as Madrid and Galicia do not reach an agreement, Galicians registered in the Community of Madrid will continue paying the current rates for transport passes, without the Xunta contributing to subsidise them. Uncertainty is growing among those affected, who fear that if the agreement is not signed, they will end up paying the price of a single ticket. For now, the CRTM keeps its offer on the table, but the Xunta does not seem willing to yield.
For the Madrilenian reader, the news has a direct impact: if they travel to Galicia, they will continue using local public transport at no additional cost, as before. But if they are Galician and live in Madrid, their pass depends on both administrations reaching an agreement. A situation that, given the political standoff, could drag on.
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