Common rules for road and rail transport in Spain

Automatic summary, not yet reviewed

1. The Law creates a single framework for all land transport, by road and by rail, and repeals the previous rules, which dated from 1877 and 1947.
2. To run public road transport or auxiliary activities you need an administrative permit, and applicants must prove professional qualification, good repute and financial capacity.
3. Transport is classified as public (for hire, with payment) or private (for own use), and public passenger transport as regular (fixed route and schedule) or discretionary (without them).
4. Permanent regular passenger services for general use are run through an administrative concession, lasting between eight and twenty years, and awarded through a tender.
5. Concessions for regular services and permits for discretionary transport are linked: regular carriers may also do discretionary transport and vice versa, and carriers do not need to own their vehicles, since leasing them is enough.
6. The Law creates coordination bodies between administrations, such as the National Transport Conference and the Commission of Directors General for Transport, plus the National Council of Land Transport as an advisory body.
7. Transport Arbitration Boards are created to settle disputes over transport contracts; for claims under 500,000 pesetas, arbitration is mandatory unless the parties agree otherwise.
8. Offenses are classified as minor, serious and very serious, with fines of up to 400,000 pesetas, and very serious ones can lead to the temporary withdrawal of the permit.

Who it affects

• Road transport companies: They need a permit, must meet qualification, good repute and financial capacity requirements, and are subject to inspection and penalties.
• Concession holders of regular passenger lines: Their concessions run for 8 to 20 years and can be lost through breach, rescission or resignation.
• Transport users: They have a right to information, to a catalog of rights and duties, and can go to the Transport Arbitration Boards.
• RENFE and rail transport: RENFE operates the National Integrated Rail Transport Network under State control, with program contracts and account standardization.
• Municipal councils: They are responsible for urban passenger transport within their municipal boundaries.

Words worth knowing

Concesión administrativa

A concession: an administration entrusts a private company with running a public service, such as a bus line.

Transporte discrecional

Discretionary transport: passenger or goods transport without a pre-set route, calendar or schedule, like a coach hired by a group.

Honorabilidad

Good repute: the requirement of having no final criminal convictions or repeated very serious transport offenses.

Visado

A periodic review by the administration of a permit to check its conditions are still met; without it, the permit stops being valid.

Declaración de Porte

A mandatory control document that must be carried in the vehicle for goods transport.

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