The project of —in processing in Congress – contains a dangerous threat to the rights of citizens and the cohesion of the territory :. Article 50 of the norm makes the concessional model jump through the air that has so far guaranteed the provision of this public service and dignified working conditions for workers in the sector. Although different parliamentary groups have presented amendments to suppress this article, others continue to buy the story that, under the promise of very low prices, the number of travelers and the quality of the service would rise. But this is not so.
Let’s not be fooled by siren songs that only seek the short -term benefit at the cost of the majority. The badly called liberalization is nothing other than a business model that only benefits the funds behind companies that, after an aggressive campaign of marketingThey offer cheap prices.
But what is the reality behind advertising claims? Let us analyze with coldness the data of other countries that have launched an unallegated bus model. And there are two large examples of markets that implemented their deregularization their territories last 2013 and 2015, respectively.
The first consequence that we observe, both in the Gallic example and in the German, is that there is a great concertation in a few hands. The dominant operators are practically the entire market in both Germany () and in France (and Flixbus), leading to a monopoly or duopoly in the best of cases. The offer is reduced and disappears with the competence with the consequent impact in terms of workplace and working conditions.
In addition, the labor consequences derived from the Flixbus business model are deeply alarming. The subcontracting strategy, which outstern the management of drivers and operators through local partners and SMEs, generates inconsistencies in labor standards and leaves many workers in precarious conditions, subject to temporary or zero -hour contracts. This orientation towards savings savings entails cuts in formation and protocols, which translates into arbitrary travel cancellations, inappropriate management of conflicts and labor overload that induces stress and exhaustion.
Decentralization in human resources management and weak union representation aggravate the situation, facilitating exploitation practices that deteriorate both the personal and family welfare of employees, directly impacting the quality of the service offered.
Higher prices
The following effect, nothing negligible, is that Flixbus and Blablacar have total freedom to fix prices. And this has a very significant impact on the price and, therefore, on users. A recent study entitled ‘Analysis of the services provided by Flixbus in Germany and France’, published by Tool Alfa last July, has compared the unit prices of Flixbus by traveler/km in Germany with the Spanish averages on similar routes. The result is that the minimum prices offered Germans exceed the medium regulated rate of the Spanish state lines in 86% of the journeys.
But the difference is even greater if instead of the minimum prices, the average prices of the ticket are compared. The result is very enlightening: 96% of journeys are more expensive in Germany than in Spain.
In addition, German and Gauling users face great variability and disparity of rates, even in the same day. The study reveals that in Germany and France the maximum, means and minimum prices on each route during the same day are very variable, with differences of up to 2.5 times, which contrasts with the greater stability of the rates in Spain.
Fluctuations without any limit by the public administration. In this way, with the deregulated model, a bus ticket can reach stratospheric figures at Christmas or when, due to circumstances outside the user, there is no other transport alternative to the bus. A circumstance that occurred in France and Germany on the occasion of railway strikes. Its price fixing policy takes advantage of the decrease in transport options available for consumers, highlighting a dynamic price strategy that maximizes profits in high demand situations but also raises ethical questions about the use of adverse circumstances for travelers.
In this way, experience in other countries shows us a little flattering radiography: higher prices, abandoned routes and market concentration in the hands of few companies.
In Spain, thanks to the public-private model that regulates public transport, the rate of each route is set by the public administration through a concessional contract. It authorizes a maximum rate, calculated depending on the kilometers of each route, on which the Spanish operators apply different commercial policies, promotions and discounts, so that at present the traveler almost never pays the maximum authorized rate.
In 2024, according to the data of the Transportation Transportation Observatory of the Ministry of Transportation, the average collection per kilometer in the state bus lines was € 0.068/traveler. This makes the interurban bus in Spain a very affordable mode of transport for the majority of the population, which places the modal share of the bus in Spain in 53%, according to data from January-October 2024, a quota far higher than other European countries.
Goodbye to discounts for vulnerable
Discounts for large, older and young families, which facilitate access to transport to the most vulnerable groups, are also an important differentiating element of both systems that affects prices, which is related to the discounts and aid enjoying travelers. In Spain, discounts to which consumers are entitled (large, older, young people, etc.) are appraised in a contract and are supervised by the administration. The authorities thus have the capacity to bonate the mobility of certain people and groups, providing them with greater protection.
In the countries in which the deregulated model has been imposed, on the other hand, any intervention in the prices by the regulators is suppressed, including the elimination of any type of discount that goes beyond the commercial interest of the operator. Everything remains in the hands of private companies, which have no legal obligation to apply any discount. They establish their prices based on supply and demand, multiplying their prices by two or three on peak days and hours.
Therefore, in the light of these data, the conclusion is clear: the rates paid by users in the deregulated systems of Germany and France is not that they are cheaper, but that they are, generally, much higher compared to that of regulated systems such as Spanish.
In short, it is accredited that the deregulation of the bus would put the serious risk of the right of citizens to a public transport of quality, accessible and sustainable; In addition to the affectation in employment and working conditions of working people. The current public-private transport model works and, for that reason, is one of the EU countries best valued by users. A model that guarantees the mobility of all citizens, regardless of their place of residence or income level. A model for all and not for a few.
