PAPER tickets are no longer being sold on Madrid's metro from today (Wednesday, November 1), having replaced them with 'rechargeable' plastic credit-card style passes.
Anyone who still has old-style paper tickets can still use them until New Year's Eve inclusive, but from January 1, only the new passes will be valid on the metropolitan transport system, including trains and buses.
The new 'contactless' cards, known as the Tarjeta Multi, costs €2.50 and lasts 10 years, and is available from the usual points of sale.
They were given out free until October 14, by which time the transport authority received nearly 1.2 million applications for them.
Since then, a further 300,000 have been bought so far.
During the 10-year period the travel card lasts, holders can top up their credit on them as often as they wish, and this credit does not expire.
They can be used by different travellers, since they do not bear the name or identity number of the holder.
Groups can travel together on the same card if there is enough money on it for all their tickets.
Large families, with three or more dependant children, and the disabled can apply for discounts via the Personal Transport Card (Tarjeta Personal de Transporte, or TPT), and these bear the name and photo of the title-holder.
The 'Multi Card' is not valid on round-town buses or on inter-city coaches, nor for the outer suburban rail line or Cercanías, nor inter-city or inter-provincial trains.
This is due to their not having the technology in place, but the situation may change in the future.
