Figueres expands public transport subsidies for students studying abroad

The Figueres City Council has initially approved the new regulatory bases for subsidies for the acquisition of collective public transport tickets intended for university students and those in intermediate or higher vocational training who habitually travel outside the municipality. The Local Governing Board, by delegation of the Plenary, adopted the resolution on September 16, 2026, and the text was published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Girona no. 190, of October 2, 2026, with the official reference BOP-2026_0_190_8382 (pp. 1-9). The document is open for public inspection for 20 business days to allow for the submission of allegations.

The regulation replaces the bases in force since 2018, approved by the municipal Plenary on May 10, 2018, and published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Girona no. 115, of June 14, 2018, which limited the aid to monthly regional and medium-distance train passes. The file, processed under number GJOV2026000028, incorporates the favorable report from the youth section technician and that of the head of the area’s legal service. The subsidy line is provided for in the Strategic Subsidy Plan of the Figueres City Council 2024-2026, approved by Mayoral decree on December 21, 2023.

The agreements include repealing the 2018 bases, initially approving the new ones, publishing them, and providing that, if no allegation or claim is made, they will be definitively approved without any further formality, in accordance with article 65.1 of Decree 179/1995 (ROAS). The Mayor-President, Jordi Masquef Creus, electronically signed the document on September 23, 2026.

Main changes

• Scope of aid: expanded from train passes to any collective public transport ticket that allows travel between Figueres and the municipality where studies are pursued.
• Exclusions: the metro, intercity bus, tram, Generalitat railways, and taxis or similar are not eligible for subsidies.
• Age: the maximum limit increases from 26 to 29 years.
• Census: maintaining registration (empadronamiento) in Figueres throughout the subsidizable period is required.
• Travel intensity: the requirement for daily travel is replaced by that of habitual travel.
• Type of ticket: a monthly pass is no longer required; tickets, passes, proof of purchase, or equivalent documents are accepted.
• Amount: the maximum percentage is unified at 40% of the accredited expense for all collective public transport.
• Nature: the aid compensates for expenses already incurred; it is not an advance subsidy for the future acquisition of tickets.
• Processing: the instructing body, the valuation commission, the grounds for inadmissibility or dismissal, and the articles on payment, justification, revocation, and reimbursement are incorporated.

Requirements and amounts

The grant may be requested by people registered in Figueres who are between 16 and 29 years old at the time of the call and who are pursuing university studies or intermediate or higher-level vocational training cycles outside the municipality. It is necessary to be enrolled in at least 45 credits or, if the study plan is not calculated in credits, 75% of the course’s teaching load, and to prove the use of public transport with the corresponding pass, subscription, or voucher.

The subsidy covers a maximum of 40% of the total amount of the accredited eligible expenditure. If the available budget credit is not sufficient to meet all requests that fulfill the requirements, the amounts may be reduced proportionally among the beneficiaries without exceeding this percentage in any case.

Processing and deadlines

The granting procedure is one of non-competitive concurrence and the resolution corresponds to the Mayor’s Office. Applications shall be submitted preferably by electronic means at the municipal electronic office, or in person at the registration assistance office (OMAC). If the application is incomplete, the City Council will require the correction within a period of 10 business days.

The resolution must be issued within a maximum of two months starting from the day after the end of the application submission period. Notifications will be carried out preferably by electronic means through the ENOTUM system, and the call will be communicated to the National Subsidy Database, with the publication of the summary in the Official Gazette of the Province of Girona.

The update expands both the protected group and the accepted qualifications, so that more families and university students from Figueres can recover part of the transport cost they have already paid to study outside the city. The 20-business-day public information period is the final window to submit allegations before the bases are definitively approved.

Fuente: Butlletí Oficial de la Província de Girona, núm. 190, 2 d’octubre de 2026, Administració local - Ajuntaments, pàg. 1-9 (referència oficial: BOP-2026_0_190_8382).