PCP demands 20-euro intermodal passes for Lisbon, Porto and all municipal communities
The Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) is demanding that the government extend the 20-euro monthly pass to intermodal transport across all municipal communities, arguing the current railway-only pass excludes most commuters who rely on buses, metros and trams.
What the government has done
Since 27 September, the Passe Ferroviário Verde has been valid on CP urban trains in both Lisbon and Porto metropolitan areas. The pass costs 20€ per month and allows unlimited travel on CP's national network, excluding Alfa Pendular and Intercidades first class.
The Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing, led by Miguel Pinto Luz, says the measure particularly benefits passengers travelling from territories outside the metropolitan areas. A commuter on the Famalicão–Porto route, for example, could see monthly costs drop from around 60€ to 20€, saving up to 480€ per year.
Since its creation in October 2024, 1.4 million passes have been sold, according to government figures. The estimated annual financial impact of the latest expansion to urban services is 1.5 million euros.
What remains incomplete
The extension to Fertagus, which operates the Lisbon–Setúbal rail link, is still being operationalised. The Ministry states it will be announced in due course. Cristina Pinto Dias, the Secretary of State for Mobility, confirmed in August that the 20-euro pass would eventually include Fertagus.
The pass is monomodal: it covers trains only. Passengers who need to combine rail with metro, bus or tram must still purchase intermodal passes such as the Navegante in Lisbon or the Andante in Porto.
What PCP is demanding
The PCP welcomed the railway pass expansion but criticised its "limited to railway use" scope. The party notes that most citizens in Lisbon and Porto use intermodal passes — the Navegante Metropolitano (40€) and Andante Metropolitano (40€) — which include multiple transport modes.
The PCP is demanding:
• A 20€ intermodal pass for Lisbon and Porto metropolitan areas from 1 January 2027, covering Navegante and Andante passes, with state funding
• Extension of the 20€ pass to all municipal communities, covering all transport modes, not just road transport as is currently the case
• Free transport for those aged 65 and over, from 1 January 2027
• Creation of a single national public transport platform to consult prices, timetables and purchase tickets
The party also calls for reinforced public transport offerings, priority for railway maintenance, worker valorisation, and rolling stock investment.
What commuters currently pay
For passengers who travel by train alone, the Passe Ferroviário Verde now costs half the price of an intermodal pass in both metropolitan areas.
In Lisbon, the Navegante Metropolitano costs 40€ per month and covers metro, buses, trams, CP suburban trains and river ferries. The Navegante Municipal costs 30€, valid within a single municipality. Navegante passes have been frozen at 2019 prices.
In Porto, the Andante Metropolitano also costs 40€ per month for the entire metropolitan area. The Andante Municipal or three-zone pass costs 30€. Monthly pass prices have remained unchanged for seven consecutive years.
Both metropolitan areas offer free passes for those aged 65 and over with the PCP and PS parties agreeing on this policy.
What this means for residents
For commuters who live outside the metropolitan belts — in towns like Aveiro, Braga or Famalicão — and travel daily by train to Porto, the railway pass offers genuine savings. A monthly rail pass is useful for those with origins and destinations both served by CP stations.
For those who need to complete their journey by metro, bus or tram, the 20€ railway pass alone is insufficient. A passenger arriving at Santa Apolónia in Lisbon or São Bento in Porto must still pay separately for onward connections, or purchase a full intermodal pass at 40€.
The PCP argues that a truly universal 20€ pass would require significant state compensation to transport operators — something the government has not yet committed to beyond the railway network.
