CP pass at €20? Riding the bus is even better

The new CP rail pass at €20, proposed by the Government, appeared, in October, as a hope for savings. However, whether due to speed, price or accessibility, taking the bus is still worth it.

O new pass railway 20€ of CP went into operation in October, but from the outset showed some weaknesses.

The pass, which has already been sold 73,232 times, can only be used on Intercidades (second class), Regional, InterRegional, urban trains in Coimbra and some urban routes in Lisbon and Porto.

From outside From this list, the fastest trains were left: Pendular Alpha and the Celtic Internationalas well as first class in Intercidades and InterRegionals.

This way, buses continue to compensate more.

As figures detailed by , detailed this Thursday, show, the Rede Expressos and Flixbus did not lose passengers with the new €20 CP pass coming into force.

On the contrary, according to JN, demand increased by 18%in the last two months, compared to the same period last year.

As disruptions to train servicescaused by strikes, and the adjustment of prices in national road transport are reasons given by Rede de Expresso to JN for the lack of impact of the new rail pass in the sector.

Buses save the countryside

Furthermore, with the interior of the country increasingly devoid of railwaysthe ones that save people are the buses.

As the general director of Flixbus in Portugal attests, Pablo Pastegato Jornal de Notícias, “around 50% of the destinations in our network are in the interior, which proves the importance of calls expressed in the country’s mobility“.

“And it is private investment, without any type of support from the State, unlike CP”, he adds.

Flixbus, which already reaches 90 Portuguese cities, will add 11 new destinations to its network, of which half will be in the interior of the country.