Ponte Caldelas approves the taxi voucher ordinance for seniors and vulnerable people

The Ponte Caldelas City Council has definitively approved the Municipal Regulatory Ordinance for the Granting of Economic Benefits in the form of “Bono-Taxi”, an economic aid that finances taxi transport for people with mobility difficulties residing in rural areas. The initial agreement was adopted by the Plenary Council on July 30, 2026 and, as no claims were registered during the public exhibition period, it is considered definitively adopted. The full text is published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Pontevedra (BOPPO) no. 194, of October 8, 2026, with the official reference 2026072105.

A social benefit to reach the town

The ordinance frames the aid within the Galician system of social services and the General Law of Subsidies. The objective is to grant direct individual aid that allows beneficiaries to travel from their homes in rural areas to the town of Ponte Caldelas to access essential services: medical appointments, official agencies, pharmacies, or supermarkets.

The regulation invokes Law 13/2008, of December 3, on social services of Galicia; Law 3/2011, of June 30, on family support and coexistence; Law 38/2003, of November 17, General Law of Subsidies; Royal Decree 887/2006, of July 21, and Law 9/2007, of June 13, on subsidies of Galicia. The granting will be carried out under a non-competitive concurrence regime and charged to the budget allocation of each fiscal year, until the available credit is exhausted.

The aid is compatible with any other grant, subsidy, income, or resource for the same purpose, and is materialized in a card issued by the municipal Social Services.

Requirements, application, and resolution

Beneficiaries may be people who, in addition to complying with Article 13 of the General Law of Subsidies, meet these conditions:

• Be registered as residents in the Ponte Caldelas City Council.
• Be over 65 years old without the possibility of driving (not having a license, being unable to use it, or not having their own vehicle) or be in a situation of social vulnerability or fragility.
• Not be unable to make trips outside the home for health reasons or other causes.
• The Municipal Social Services may exempt, through a reasoned technical report, the fulfillment of some requirements.

The required documentation limits the application to the standardized form, with a responsible declaration, and a photocopy of the identity document. The submission period is open throughout the year, at the General Registry of the council or electronically. Each application is resolved by mayoral resolution within a maximum period of 10 days; if there is no express resolution, it is understood to be rejected. Defects in the application can be amended within a non-extendable period of 10 days, extendable by up to 5 more.

Four trips per month and zoning by days

Each user is entitled to aid equivalent to the total cost of four monthly round-trip services; if these are not exhausted, only the trips actually taken are paid. The calculation begins from the date of the granting resolution and extends until December 2026. The maximum use is four trips per month, and all routes operate only during morning hours.

To optimize resources, the ordinance establishes five travel zones:

• Zone A (Monday): Laxoso, Portasouto, Sorreira, Caldelas, Gradín, Paradela, and Cuñas.
• Zone B (Tuesday): Tourón, Buchabad, Vilarchán, Contixe, Mirón, and Reigosa.
• Zone C (Wednesday): Baltar, Aluncía, Chan do Casal, Sobreiro, Taboadelo, Verdugo, and Parada.
• Zone D (Thursday): Covelo, A Roca, Insua, Silvoso, Regodobargo, Rebordelo, Chaín, and Barbudo.
• Zone E (Friday): Pazos, Anceu, Ramís, Esfarrapada, Caritel, A Pousa, Forzáns, and A Fraga.

If the assigned day coincides with the 5th or 20th of the month, or is not a business day, the trip is moved to the following business day. If the program does not gather a high number of registered users, the zoning may be bypassed and operate as an “on-demand” service, with the user freely choosing the day.

Beneficiaries must contact Municipal Services at least 24 hours in advance to specify the date and activity; the council then confirms the service, the pickup time, and the taxi driver.

Collaborating taxi drivers and justification

Companies interested in providing the service must submit an application to the General Registry and hold a valid taxi license in the Council of Ponte Caldelas; municipal services will create a registry of collaborating companies. Vouchers can be used for both conventional and adapted taxis.

Justification is made via a monthly invoice detailing the user, location, date, time, and amount of the round-trip journey. In a shared trip, only the one with the highest amount is invoiced. For Treasury purposes, the application for participation entails a transfer of the right of collection in favor of the taxi drivers.

The falsification or concealment of data, lack of justification, or diversion of the aid implies the prevention of submitting a new application for two years.

The ordinance will enter into force once the full text is published and the fifteen-day period provided for in articles 70.2 and 65.2 of Law 7/1985, of April 2, Regulating the Bases of the Local Regime, has elapsed. The announcement is signed by the mayor, Andrés Díaz Sobral.

The regulation provides legal coverage for a benefit that until now lacked its own regulation and directly affects residents of rural areas without access to public transport, as well as the council’s taxi drivers, who now have a stable billing channel through the municipal program.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Pontevedra (BOPPO), no. 194, October 8, 2026, Local Administration, Council of Ponte Caldelas (official reference: 2026072105).