New rules for road transport companies and an aviation security fee

Automatic summary, not yet reviewed

1. The law thoroughly rewrites the 1987 Law on the Organization of Land Transport to adapt it to European Union rules and to the current state of the transport market.
2. Transport companies will face stricter requirements to get their authorization: an establishment in Spain, good repute, financial capacity (at least €9,000 in capital per vehicle) and a transport manager with certified professional competence.
3. Transport authorizations are granted without a fixed term, but they can lose their validity if they fail a periodic check carried out by the Administration itself to confirm the required conditions are still met.
4. Renting vehicles with a driver (such as VTC rides) is now classified as a form of passenger transport, not an auxiliary activity, and requires a public transport authorization.
5. Regular general-use bus services move from concessions to public service management contracts, awarded through an open procedure, with a maximum duration of ten years, extendable by up to half the original term.
6. Auxiliary transport activities are redefined, and the figure of the logistics operator is included for the first time: a company that organizes and manages transport, storage and distribution of goods on behalf of others.
7. Offenses are reclassified as minor, serious and very serious, with fines from €100 to €18,000 depending on the case. Voluntary payment within 30 days reduces the fine by 30 percent.
8. An aviation security fee of €0.579885 per departing passenger at Spanish airports is created. Passengers pay it through the airline or whoever sold the ticket.

Who it affects

• Road transport companies carrying passengers and goods: They must prove establishment, financial capacity and professional competence, and communicate with the Administration only electronically.
• Vehicle rental with driver companies (VTC): They need a public transport authorization to operate and cannot pick up customers who have not booked in advance.
• Governments contracting regular bus services: Their services are managed through public service management contracts with new rules on award, duration and fares.
• Passengers on flights departing from Spanish airports: They pay the aviation security fee when boarding at Spanish airports.
• Passenger transport users: They can commit minor offenses, for example traveling without a ticket or tampering with the vehicle doors.

Words worth knowing

Autorización de transporte público (public transport authorization)

Permit granted by the Administration to work professionally in passenger or goods transport.

Contrato de gestión de servicio público (public service management contract)

Contract by which a government hires a company to run a regular bus service, replacing the old concession system.

Visado (periodic check)

Periodic review by the Administration to confirm the company still meets the requirements of its authorization.

Tacógrafo (tachograph)

Device installed in the vehicle that records the driver's driving and rest times.

Honorabilidad (good repute)

Requirement of not having been convicted or sanctioned for certain crimes or offenses in order to work as a carrier.

It summarizes the law as published in the BOE. It is written by artificial intelligence and may contain mistakes: the official text is what counts. Read the official text · How we make summaries