Madrid has become one of the European capitals with one of the highest levels of car use in Europe. Getting around the city can be a nightmare: never-ending traffic jams, gridlocked streets, limited parking in the city centre... these are just some of the daily obstacles that we Madrileños encounter. But Madrid offers a wide range of alternatives to the car, so many that you can comfortably travel throughout the Region and its neighbouring towns and cities. We tell you about these means of transport, their fares, timetables and routes. Take note, because getting around Madrid will be easier.
Public Transport in Madrid Which is best for me?
Empresa Municipal de Transportes de Madrid manages everything to do with the city's urban buses, including the one to the airport, the city's electric recharging points, the BiciMad service and regulated parking in the city centre.
BUSES IN MADRID
Madrid is connected throughout the length and breadth of the Community with a network of both urban and interurban buses. More than 200 lines connect practically all parts of the city.
Timetable
They start running at 6 a.m. and finish their services around 11.30 p.m. at night. From this time onwards, night buses, known as Owls. A total of 26 lines, departing from Plaza de Cibeles. They run every day until 5:50 in the morning.
Tariffs
The price for both daytime buses and Owls is 1.50 for a single ticket. And you can buy it when you get on the bus. Please note that you can't pay with a ticket for more than €5. The 10 journey voucher costs 12,20€. and is valid for metro and bus. But first you have to buy the red card Multi, which costs €2.50. You can top it up at the machines in the hall of each metro station or at tobacconists.
Intercity buses
They are green buses. They connect different municipalities in Madrid with each other and with the capital. There are 324 lines that are managed by private transport companies. They use single tickets which can be bought on the bus itself (each line has a different price, depending on the distance it travels), the 10-trip ticket which is sold at kiosks, Bankia cash machines or at the interchanges of Avenida de América, Moncloa, Príncipe Pío, Plaza Elíptica or Plaza de Castilla. There is also a monthly/yearly season ticket that can be purchased online or at kiosks.
Special bus to the airport
Known as “Express-Airport”. It connects the centre of Madrid with Adolfo Suárez airport. From T4, it stops at T2, T1, Calle O'Donnell, Plaza de Cibeles and Atocha Station. It runs 24 hours a day and the ticket price is €5, which can be bought on the bus itself.
MADRID METRO NETWORK
Madrid Metro currently has 13 lines, plus 3 light rail lines, and boasts 301 stations. It connects the entire city and other outlying towns, such as Pozuelo de Alarcón, Móstoles, Rivas, and Alcobendas.
Timetables
The metro runs every day of the year, between 6:00 and 2:00. The only day when the timetable changes is Christmas Eve. Like the bus service, they finish at 22:00 and on Christmas Day they start running at around 8:00 in the morning.
Tariffs
Since a few months ago, it has been essential to buy a ticket to access the metro. the Multi card. It costs €2.50 and can be recharged with any type of ticket you want. There are several different types of tickets:
. Single ticket1.50 to €2 depending on the area you are going to.
. 10-trip voucher: 12,20€
. Airport supplement: 3€
This card is valid for both city bus and metro. Children under 4 years of age travel free of charge. It can be purchased at the automatic machines that there are in the stations, in the watertights and other authorised sales outlets.
COMMUTER TRAIN
This means of transport connects different parts of the city with each other, as well as with other towns in the Community and neighbouring provinces such as Toledo and Guadalajara.
Timetables
They vary from line to line. So does the frequency of trains. Most trains start around 5:00 and end around 00:00.
Tariffs
It depends on the zone covered by the suburban train. While in zones 1 and 2 the single ticket costs €1.70, in zone 7 you have to pay €5.50. There is also the bonotren, 10-trip ticket valid for one month, much cheaper if you are going to travel frequently on the same line. Children under 6 years old do not pay a ticket.
Private transport: TAXIS vs UBER & CABIFY
In Madrid taxis are white with a red stripe on the front door. They are easily identifiable. You can catch one at any of the signposted taxi ranks around the city, or hail them on the streets when they are running with a green light.
There are also telephone numbers where you can book the service in advance:
- Tele Taxi: 913 71 21 31.
- TaxiMadrid: 910855444
- Radiotelefono Taxi: 915 47 82 00.
There are currently around 15,000 taxis in Madrid, so it is not difficult to get one to get around the big city. It's a fast and comfortable way to get around the city. But more expensive than public transport.
Tariffs
You can pay in cash or by credit card.
The lowering of the flag costs €2.40, Monday to Saturday between 6am and 9pm. All other days and evenings are €2.90.
The price per kilometre is €1.05, Monday to Friday between 07:00 and 21:00. On weekends and evenings it goes up to 1,20€.
To this must be added the supplements charged by taxi drivers for some specific journeys:
Bus and train stations (Atocha, Chamartín, Méndez Álvaro and Avenida de América).: 3 €
To the Juan Carlos I Exhibition Centre (IFEMA): 3€
New Year's Eve and Christmas Eve (between 21:00 and 7:00 a.m.) 6,70€ (between 21:00 and 7:00 a.m.) 6,70€.
In recent years, a battle has been raging between taxi drivers and private car drivers, known as "taxi drivers". Uber and Cabify. These are companies that connect with customers through a mobile app. The traveller can choose the vehicle and pay from the App itself. The main difference between the two companies is the way they charge.
Uber and Cabify fares
Uber applies a kilometre and minute rate. 1.20 for each kilometre driven and an additional 10 cents for each minute driven. But they set a minimum service of €5.
Cabify instead charges per km travelled. 1.65 for the first 20 km and €1.10 for the rest. The minimum charge is €6.
Shared transport. The Green Boom
Electric bicycles, cars and motorbikes! They are the latest means of transport in Madrid. They are silent, comfortable and, above all, non-polluting vehicles. Ideal for dealing with the monumental traffic jams in the city and without emitting CO2. We analyse them one by one to find out their advantages.
ELECTRIC BICYCLES
Known as BiciMAD . It is a shared system of electric bikes that depends on the Madrid City Council. You can pick up a bike anywhere in the city and return it to another place that suits you.
Registration is free, you just need to have a credit card. You can do it in many ways: through the BiciMad mobile app, on its website, on the 010 helpline, at the totem stands or at the Línea Madrid Citizen Service Offices. There are two options for acquiring the card:
. The occasional-use cardThe totem card is mainly indicated for tourists who will use it for one or more days. The card can be for 1, 3 or 5 days and you pick it up at the totem pole. You will receive the bill when you have finished using the service. If you choose this option you have to know that when you sign up, the amount of 150 euros will be retained in your bank card as a deposit that will be returned to you later. During the first hour you will be billed €2 and from then on €4.
. The annual card, aimed at residents of Madrid. It costs €25 and if you have the transport pass, only €15. The first 30 minutes will cost you €0.50 and the following €0.60.
In both cases there are bonuses of €0.10, if you take your bike at the busiest stations or leave it at the empty ones.
How they are used
BiciMad is very simple. At the totem you will see a touch screen where you can check the actual availability of bicycles and the available anchors, as well as everything related to your balance or recharge your annual card. To take a bike, all you have to do is go to any stand, put your card near the base of the chosen bike and an anchor will be released. The green light indicates that it is free, if it is blue, it means that the place has already been reserved by another user.
It is important that you check if the bike is working properly. To do this, look for the ON/OFF button on the handlebars. The blue LIGHT button turns the lights on and off. The green MODE button adjusts the level of electric assistance. The LOW, MED and HIGH positions mean respectively that the selected assistance is low, medium or high. The battery level of the bike is indicated on the right side of the control knob. It is important to know that it is recharged at the same station and that the bikes have a range of up to 70km.
ELECTRIC CARS
Several carsharing companies operate in Madrid: Car2go, Emov, Zity or Electric Way. They are cute little electric cars, each one a different colour. They do not pay in the green and blue zones in the city centre and can circulate without problems when there are traffic restrictions due to high levels of pollution.
Carpooling is based on a mobile app where you check the availability of your chosen car and can book it directly. Each company has its own rates and conditions.
Car2Go
This service is paid by the minute or by the day. Parking, charging and insurance costs are already included in the price.
. 0,21€ per minute.
. 59€ per day.
Emov
To register you have to pay 9 euros which includes 20 minutes of free driving. Your rates are per minute or per day. And it includes parking, electricity and insurance.
. 0,24€ per minute
. 69€ 24 hours
Zity Madrid
This rental service does not ask for a deposit from its customers. The novelty it presents is what they call STAND BY. A special reduced fare that is activated when you get out of the car and take a break in your journey. During this time you activate the option in your App. park and when you resume your journey, you press the button continue, It's as simple as that.
. Standard Tariff: 0’26€/ minute
. Stand by rate: 0’09€/minute
. Rate per day: 66 €.
Electric Way
The minimum age to rent this two-seater is 22 years old. It has a range of 80 km without recharging. And it can reach a maximum of 80 km per hour. A security deposit of 350 euros is required. The prices are:
. 3 € per hour
. 18€ per day
ELECTRIC MOTORBIKES
Just like the electric cars we see on the streets of Madrid, scooters have joined the trend of eco-friendly ridesharing. There are currently 5 companies operating in the city with their particular scooters: Muving, Ioscoot, Movo, eCooltra. The latest to join has been Coup this summer. All of them work with a mobile application that allows the scooter to be located and purchased.
Muving
These scooters have a range of 60 km. In order to hire them you need to have an A1 licence or a B car licence if you are two years old. It is important to know that you can use these scooters in the centre of the capital and outside the M30 in neighbourhoods such as Carabanchel Bajo, Hortaleza, Usera, Peñagrande, Mirasierra, Pinar del Rey, Canillejas, San Blas and La Concepción. The price is 21 cents per minute. And new customers are offered a welcome promotion of 30 free minutes.
Ioscoot
One of the novelties of this service is the extensive information it offers users. When you want to rent a scooter, a map is displayed showing the exact location of the scooter, the battery charge and the number plate. Once you have chosen the scooter, all you have to do is press the handlebars to turn them to the ON position, take out the helmet stored in the back and start your journey. When you have reached your destination, press OFF on the handlebars and type in the App “end journey”.
These scooters can be rented for between 18 and 24 cents per minute depending on the time of day or night.
Movo
Its scooters have a range of 50 km. The company takes care of battery recharging, scooter maintenance and helmets. So the user does not have to worry about anything.
Movo rates are 22 cents per minute. They have a special reduced rate of €0.12 called Stand-by which you activate when you finish your journey and switch off the bike.
This service works in the same way as the rest of the competition. You can circulate beyond the established limits, but you cannot park outside this zone.
eCooltra
This Catalan moped service arrived in Madrid just three months ago. They have a range of 40 km and their rate is 24 cents a minute. It offers new users 20 minutes free with the promotional code “WEB20”. The bikes have two helmets for rider and passenger.
Coup
This scooter can circulate beyond the interior of the M30. It reaches neighbourhoods such as Arganzuela, Chamberí, Retiro, Salamanca, Centro, Chamartín, Tetuán and some areas of San Blas.
The price has been set at a flat rate of €3 up to 20 minutes. Thereafter it will be €1 every 10 minutes, about 10 cents per minute.
With these 5 companies, Madrid will soon have a fleet of more than 4,000 shared electric motorbikes by the end of this year.
Getting around Madrid without using your own car has never been easier. There are alternatives for all users and pockets. All you have to do is look for the one that best suits your needs for getting around the city. It's up to you to choose one or combine several. Which one do you prefer?
