If you are living in one of Spain's major cities you will without doubt enounter the local public transport. Here's how it all works.

Metros
Buses and trams

Metros

There are underground railway systems (metros) in Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao and Valencia, where public transport tickets and passes permit travel on all modes of public transport including metro, bus and suburban train services. Metros offer the quickest way to get around these cities, although they’re crowded during rush hours. No smoking is permitted on metro trains or in stations, which are clean and fairly safe.

Crime is generally rare on Spanish metros, although you should watch out for pickpockets especially on the Madrid system. Metro systems are also planned for Malaga and Seville.

Madrid

Madrid has the largest and oldest metro system in Spain with 12 lines and 160 stations covering most of the city, operating from 6.05am, through the clock, until 2am and used by some 565 million people a year.

The fare is EUR 1.10 per journey and EUR 5.20 for a ten-journey ticket, which may include bus travel (metrobús).

Monthly or annual season tickets are available for young people aged under 21 (abono joven), commuters (abono normal) and for pensioners over 64 (abono tercera edad). Season tickets offer exceptionally good savings for unlimited travel on public transport including the underground, city buses and local trains (cercanías). Pensioners who pay only EUR 9 a month for unlimited travel get a particularly good deal.

A free map (plano del metro) showing the lines in different colours is available from ticket offices. Tickets are sold at station ticket booths and from machines.

The metro is easy to use; simply note the end station of the line you want and follow the signs. When entering or leaving a train, car doors must be opened manually by pressing a button. Apart from Sundays and late at night, trains run around every five to eight minutes (more frequently during rush hour), although no timetable is published.

Madrid has invested heavily in its metro system and in 2002 the centre of Madrid (Nuevos Ministerios station where check-in facilities are available) was finally connected by underground to Barajas airport, which can be reached in just 15 minutes. Further extension to the south of the city is currently underway with the MetroSur line, which will connect many suburbs such as Alcorcón and Fuenlabrada to the central underground lines. Comprehensive information regarding the metro is available by phone ( 902-444 403 from 7am to 11pm) or on the Internet (www. metromadrid.es).

Barcelona

Barcelona’s metro is one of the world’s most modern and best designed systems, although it has just five lines: L1 (red), L3 (green), L4 (yellow), L5 (blue) and L5 (black).

Large areas of the city aren’t covered by the metro (particularly within the Eixample area) and despite having only a few lines, most connections require long walks between platforms (not recommended if you’re carrying heavy baggage).

Stations are indicated at street level by a large red ‘M’ within a diamond.

Trains are frequent and run every three or four minutes at peak times. There’s piped music on platforms to keep you entertained while waiting for trains, most of which are air-conditioned.

A map (xarxa de metro in Catalan) is available from tourist offices and at ticket windows in stations (there’s also a metro map on the back of the free tourist office city map). Lines are marked in colours, and connections between lines (correspondencia) and between metro and train systems (enlace) are clearly indicated.

Stops are announced over an intercom and illuminated panels show where the train has come from, the station you’re approaching, and as the train departs after stopping, the next station (an excellent idea which could be adopted by all metro systems). Flashing red chevrons at the end of each carriage indicate the side of the train from which to exit. Announcements on trains (and in stations) are made in Spanish (Castilian) and not in Catalan.

A single journey costs EUR 1 and a T-10 (tarjeta multiviaje) pass EUR 5.80 and is valid for ten journeys on the metro and city buses, and can also be used on the blue tramway (Tibidabo), the Montjuic funicular railway and Catalan railways Generalitat (FFCC) city lines. Numerous other passes are also available such as the T-mes valid for a month’s unlimited travel (EUR 37.65), the T-familiar valid for up to 70 journeys and transferable and the T-joven valid for 90 days’ unlimited travel for those under 21. One, three and five-day passes are also available.

Tickets and passes can be purchased from automatic ticket machines at most stations, ticket windows, and from ServiCaixa ATMs and special sales’ outlets. If you purchase a multi-trip ticket, it must be inserted in the slot of an automatic gate, which clips off a segment of the ticket, illuminates a flashing yellow light and releases the gate. Always keep your pass or ticket until you leave the metro, as riding without a ticket incurs a EUR 30 on-the-spot fine. The metro is open from 5am (6am on Sundays) and closes at midnight from Mondays to Thursdays, on Sundays and public holidays, and at 2am on Fridays, Saturdays and the day before public holidays.

Barcelona also has the FFCC (Generalitat), a small underground train service within the city operated by the provincial government of Catalonia. You can use the T-1 and T-2 passes on the FFCC or buy tickets from machines in stations.

Comprehensive information on all Barcelona’s public transport systems is available on the Transports Metropolitans Barcelona website (www.tmb.net), which includes a useful guide to public transport based on the name of a street. When you type in the name of a street the public transport operating in the area is shown.

Bilbao

Bilbao’s metro system, designed by Sir Norman Foster, was completed in 1995 and consists of two lines. A one-journey ticket costs EUR 1 and a day ticket EUR 3. Further discounts and passes are also available. Trains generally run from 6am to 11pm. Information is available on: www.metrobilbao.net.

Valencia

The metro system, which opened in 1988, consists of three lines. Tickets cost EUR 0.95 for one journey and a ten-journey ticket, B-10, costs EUR 5.65. Further discounts and passes are also available. Trains generally run from 5am to midnight. Further information can be found on  www.cop.gva.es/fgv, which includes details of other public transport in Valencia.

Buses and trams

There are excellent bus (autobús) services in all major cities and towns in Spain and comprehensive long-distance ‘coach’ (autocar) services between major cities. Buses are the cheapest and most common form of public transport in Spain and most coastal towns and rural villages are accessible only by bus. The quality and age of buses vary considerable from luxurious modern vehicles in most cities to old ramshackle relics in some rural areas.

Private bus services are often confusing and uncoordinated, and buses may leave from different locations rather than a central bus station (estación de autobuses), e.g. Madrid has eight bus stations and most cities have two or more (possibly located on the outskirts of town). There are left luggage offices (consignas) at central bus stations. Note that smoking isn’t permitted on buses.

Before boarding a bus at a bus terminal you must usually buy a ticket from the ticket office or a machine. Otherwise you can buy a single ticket from the driver or conductor as you enter the bus (they usually give change for small banknotes). Passengers usually enter a bus from a front door (marked entrada) and dismount from a centre or side exit (salida). Most buses are driver-only operated, although some city buses (e.g. blue buses in Madrid) have the entrance at the rear where you pay a conductor who sits by the door. You must usually signal before the stop (parada) where you wish to get off by pressing a button (which activates a bell in the driver’s cab).

City buses

Most bus services in cities run from around 6am until between 11pm and midnight, when a night service normally comes into operation (which is usually more expensive than day buses). There’s usually a ten-minute service on the most popular routes during peak hours and an hourly night service, although services are considerably reduced on Sundays and public holidays.

City buses are often very crowded and buses that aren’t air-conditioned can be uncomfortable in the summer (some urban buses are air-conditioned). Most city buses have few seats, so as to provide maximum standing room.

There are numerous bus routes in major cities and it can be difficult to find your way around by bus. Urban buses are generally very slow and although there are special bus and taxi lanes in some cities (e.g. Madrid), there are still frequent traffic jams. Consequently, many people prefer to use the metro (e.g. in Barcelona or Madrid) or taxis (which are inexpensive).

In Madrid, a single bus trip costs EUR 1.10 and a ten-trip ticket (metrobús) is available for EUR 5.20. Fares are similar in other cities and there are reductions for pensioners and young people up to 21. Tickets are available from bus offices and tobacconists. Bus and metro fares are the same in Madrid and tickets can be used on both systems.

In Barcelona, a ten-ride T-10 pass can be used on all urban public transport including the metro. In Madrid and Barcelona (and some other cities) tickets are valid for an entire bus route, but not for transfers to other buses. Day and multi-day passes offering unlimited travel are also available, plus a range of season tickets (abono), e.g. for a week, month or a year.

In some cities (such as Madrid) those aged between 15 and 21 can buy a youth card (carnet joven) providing discounts on public transport and other discounts (e.g. entrance fees to museums). Multi-ride tickets and passes must be stamped in a special machine on boarding a bus and there are on-the-spot fines for anyone found travelling without a valid ticket.

Routes are numbered and terminal points are shown on buses and displayed on signs at stops in most cities. Bus timetables and route maps are available from bus company offices, bus stations and tourist offices. Tourist buses are provided in major cities, most of which follow a circular route, and bus companies offer excursions throughout Spain (packages may include meals, sightseeing and ferry travel).

Rural buses

In rural and resort areas, bus services are often operated by the local municipality and services are usually irregular, e.g. four to six buses a day on most routes, although some have an hourly service (there may be no service during the lunch break, e.g. 1.30 and 3pm). The first bus departs at anytime between 6.30 and 9am, and the last bus may depart as early as 4 or 5pm on some routes (most last buses depart before 9pm).
However, bus services are usually reliable and run on time. Small towns can often be reached only via their provincial capital and in the centre of Spain it’s difficult to get from one major city to another without going via Madrid. Local bus timetables may be published in free newspapers and magazines.

Long-distance buses

In addition to local city and rural bus companies, there are many long-distance bus companies in Spain including Alsa-Enatcar (the largest), Auto Res and Continental-Auto. Inter-city buses are usually faster than trains and cost less.

Fares on long-distance routes are reasonable and typical return fares are Madrid-Alicante around EUR 42 and Madrid-Barcelona around EUR 56. Long-distance bus companies are usually privately owned and their fares are quite competitive. The most luxurious buses are comfortable and offer air-conditioning, films and sometimes free soft drinks.

All the main companies have both telephone and Internet information and booking services. Further information can be obtained from Alsa-Enatcar (902-422 242, www.alsa.es), Auto Res (902-020 603, www.auto-res.net) and Continental-Auto (902-330 400,  www.continental-auto.es).

International buses

There are regular international bus services between Spain’s major cities and many European cities. For example, Eurolines runs coach services from Britain to some 45 destinations in Spain. Journeys are very long, e.g. from London it’s 26 hours to Barcelona and 28 hours to Madrid, and fares are often little cheaper than flying (it’s worth comparing bus fares with the cheapest charter flights).

Unless you have a fear of flying or a love of coach travel, you may find one or two days spent on a bus a nightmare. Buses are, however, comfortable, air-conditioned, and equipped with toilets and video entertainment. Most services operate daily during the summer holiday season and two or three times a week out of season. Discounts are provided for students and youths on some routes. Bookings can be made at travel agents in Spain and abroad.

Typical return fares with Eurolines are Barcelona-London around EUR 122 and Madrid-London around EUR 139. Apex returns are considerably cheaper.

Trams

Few Spanish cities have retained their trams, although air-conditioned trams were reintroduced in Valencia in 1994 after an absence of 20 years. Barcelona has a ‘Combino’ tramline in the centre and in 2002 Bilbao reintroduced trams with the first line running through the centre of the city. Malaga and Zaragossa are also thinking of reintroducing them.

This article is an extract from Living and Working in Spain, by David Hampshire. Published by Survival Books.