The Provincial Council opens DIPUCAR grants for rural taxis in six areas

The Provincial Council of Palencia has approved the call and the regulatory bases for direct subsidies intended to cover the operating deficits of the “Pilot Project for demand-responsive public transport in the province of Palencia. DIPUCAR, 2026 and 2027 fiscal years”. The announcement is published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Palencia number 103, dated August 28, 2026, via the extract of the Decree of August 25, 2026, signed by the President of the Council.

The call, registered in the National Subsidies Database with the identifier BDNS 926663, is processed under articles 17.3.b and 20.8.a of the General Subsidies Law 38/2003, of November 17. The full text can be consulted on the electronic office of the Council and in the BDNS itself.

Purpose and beneficiaries

The purpose of the call is to grant aid to taxi drivers with a municipal license for trips made within the area of operation of the demand-responsive transport pilot project. Eligible beneficiaries may be natural or legal persons with a municipal taxi license in the municipalities or population centers listed in Annex I of the bases, provided they are affiliated with the demand mobility management platform developed by the Council.

• Affiliation with the platform, provided free of charge by the Council, is mandatory to request financial payment for the trips.
• Payments refer to each trip made within the areas of operation and within the schedules defined by the platform, which may be modified according to supply and demand.

Expansion to three new zones

The pilot project, which already operated in Cervera, Saldaña, and Baltanás, incorporates three new areas of operation: Venta de Baños, Carrión de los Condes, and Herrera de Pisuerga. With this expansion, the program covers a total of six areas defined in the municipalities and population centers detailed in Annex I of the bases.

Amount and deadlines

The subsidized trips will be those made during the period subject to the subsidy, between October 1, 2026, and September 30, 2027. Applications may be submitted at any time from the publication of the bases in the BOP of Palencia until September 30, 2027.

Once there is a favorable resolution regarding the inclusion of the petitioner in the management platform, they may request payment for the trips demanded and managed through said platform. All documentation for the call is available to interested parties in the electronic office of the Provincial Council of Palencia. The announcement appears signed in Palencia on August 27, 2026, by the Head of the Industry, Civil Protection, and Firefighting Service, Eduardo Polo Alejos.

The expansion of the DIPUCAR program reinforces mobility in the rural areas of Palencia, where demand-responsive transport has become a key tool to guarantee residents’ access to basic services. The incorporation of Venta de Baños, Carrión de los Condes, and Herrera de Pisuerga extends the benefit to new regions and provides local taxi drivers with a stable source of income for the next fiscal year.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Palencia, no. 103, August 28, 2026, Provincial Administration, p. 3 (official reference: BDNS 926663).