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Date Published: 20/09/2022
ARCHIVED - Renfe changes train reservation policy in Spain following wave of ghost bookings
Medium-distance commuter train services across Spain are completely free until the end of the year
From now on, passengers planning to travel on any of Renfe’s medium distance trains for free will no longer be able to book seats in advance. The rail company was forced to change its reservation policy after commuters complained that the app was showing all trains as full, since travellers were booking multiple seats and not bothering to cancel.
The free travel scheme was introduced by the Spanish government on September 1 and savvy passengers took advantage of the system, booking several seats at different times to ensure the had a reservation at the time that suited them. The unforeseen result was that trains looked like they were booked out up to ten days in advance, with many regular commuters left stranded.
Since the trains are now free, customers incurred no financial penalties for forgetting to cancel their unused trips.
Renfe has faced huge backlash from angry commuters, who have seen their regular train leave the station half empty when they were unable to book a seat, and the issue has been especially problematic in Galicia and Castilla-La Mancha
To prevent these ‘ghost reservations’ from occurring again, Renfe has decided to introduce two new conditions for reservations. Firstly, passengers will be limited to booking two outgoing and two return journeys; this will reduce the number of seats being held while still giving travellers different time options. Secondly, the app won’t allow passengers to book the return leg of their trip until their departure train has set off, which should still allow commuters plenty of opportunity to find a suitable reservation.
Travel on Renfe’s ‘Media Distancia’ regional trains is free until December 31. Passengers who wish to avail themselves of the service need to pay a small deposit, which will be returned when the promotion ends, and make at least 16 trips during this period.
Image: Pixabay
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