The Abono Joven is a discounted, personalized travel pass for young residents of the Comunidad de Madrid, covering unlimited travel on metro, EMT buses, Cercanías trains and interurban buses within a chosen zone for a full month or year. It is issued by the region’s transport authority, the Consorcio Regional de Transportes de Madrid (CRTM), and is not the same product as the standard Abono Transportes.
What exactly is the Abono Joven?
It is one of several “abono” products sold under the Comunidad de Madrid’s single fare umbrella, which lets a traveler use one card across metro, bus and rail rather than buying separate tickets for each operator. The Abono Joven applies a reduced monthly rate specifically to travelers under a set age, in exchange for the card being personal and non-transferable.
Like other abonos, it is loaded onto the region’s rechargeable travel card system rather than sold as a paper ticket, and it is priced by zone rather than by number of journeys — meaning a holder can travel as often as they like within the covered area for the period purchased. For how that zone-and-card structure works generally, see how the Madrid metro fare system works.
Who qualifies for the Abono Joven?
Eligibility is set by age, and the CRTM has changed the upper limit over the years — it has been extended more than once, most recently to include travelers up to 26 years old. Because this threshold is a policy decision rather than a fixed fact of geography, readers should confirm the current age band directly on the CRTM’s own site before assuming eligibility.
Beyond age, the pass is generally aimed at people resident in Spain, and applicants are typically asked to show identification confirming date of birth when the card is issued or renewed. The CRTM’s site sets out the exact documentation required, since this too has varied — some periods have required proof of residency in the Comunidad de Madrid, others have been more permissive for the youth abono specifically. Confirming this before applying avoids a wasted trip to an issuing point.
What does the pass actually cover?
The Abono Joven covers the same modes as the standard adult abono: the Madrid Metro network, EMT city buses, the interurban bus network run by private concessionaires under CRTM coordination, and Cercanías commuter trains within the Comunidad de Madrid. It does not typically extend to long-distance or high-speed rail services leaving the region — for those, see how to reach other Spanish cities by train from Madrid.
Coverage is bounded by zone, not by mode. The Comunidad de Madrid is divided into fare zones — A at the centre, then B1, B2, B3 outward, and C1, C2 further out toward towns like Aranjuez or Guadalajara — and a holder buys the zone combination that matches where they actually need to travel. A pass for Zone A alone covers the city; a pass extending to B2 or beyond adds outer municipalities and some Cercanías lines that run past the city limits.
Whether the Abono Joven applies to night bus services is worth checking directly, since night coverage rules have differed from daytime abono rules in the past. Background on that separate network is at what Madrid’s night buses, the Búho network, actually are, and on daytime city buses at how the EMT bus network works.
How much does it cost?
The Abono Joven is priced well below the standard adult abono for the same zone, which is the entire point of the product — it is a subsidized rate aimed at students and young workers rather than a discount card in the loyalty-scheme sense. Exact monthly prices are set by zone and change periodically, so this is one of those figures too perishable to print reliably here. The CRTM publishes current prices by zone on its own site, and that is the source to check before budgeting for a monthly pass.
What is durable is the shape of the pricing: cost rises with the number of zones covered, a single-zone pass covering just central Madrid is the cheapest tier, and the monthly rate for young travelers is set noticeably lower than the equivalent adult abono for the same zones.
How is it different from the standard Abono Transportes?
The core mechanics — zone-based, unlimited travel, loaded onto a personal card — are identical to the adult Abono Transportes. The differences are the age cap, the reduced price, and, in some periods, a different residency or documentation requirement at the point of issue. For readers weighing an abono against Madrid’s other travel card, the pay-as-you-go Multi card, the relevant comparison is set out at what the Multi card is, and how it differs from the abono. Broadly: the abono suits regular daily travel over a month or year, and the Multi card suits shorter, occasional or one-off visits where a monthly pass would not be used enough to pay for itself.
Does the Abono Joven cover the airport?
Madrid Metro applies a supplement to journeys touching the airport terminals at Barajas, on top of the standard fare, and this supplement generally applies regardless of which abono a traveler holds. Details of when it applies and how it is charged are covered at the Madrid Metro airport supplement explained. For getting into the city from the airport in the first place, including alternatives to the metro, see how to get from Barajas Airport into central Madrid.
How do you apply for one?
Any abono in Madrid, including the Abono Joven, is loaded onto the region’s personalized travel card, generally referred to as the TTP (Tarjeta de Transporte Público). A new applicant typically needs:
- A passport-style photograph
- Identification confirming date of birth
- Any residency or enrollment documentation the CRTM currently requires for the youth rate
The card itself can usually be requested online through the CRTM, by post, or in person at designated points including some metro stations and estancos (licensed tobacco-and-stamp shops, which in Madrid double as small transport-ticket outlets). Monthly top-ups can then generally be done online, at station machines, or through the CRTM’s mobile app. Because issuing points and required documents have changed over time, confirming the current process on the CRTM’s own site before a first application saves an avoidable trip.
Is the Abono Joven relevant to a short-term visitor?
Generally, no. It is built around a fixed age band and, in many periods, a residency requirement, which puts it out of reach for someone visiting Madrid for a few days regardless of age. A visitor staying under a couple of weeks is almost always better served by single tickets or a Multi card loaded with 10-journey passes, covered in the comparison linked above.
The Abono Joven matters for a different reader: someone who has moved to Madrid to study or work, expects to use public transport daily for months, and is under the qualifying age. For that reader, it is usually the cheapest way to move around the city and the wider region over a sustained period, and it is worth setting up in the first weeks of a longer stay rather than paying single fares while it is arranged.
Where does this fit into getting around Madrid generally?
The Abono Joven is one card within a much larger transport system that also includes Cercanías regional trains, the EMT bus network, night buses, and a bike-share scheme. For journeys where Cercanías is a faster or more direct option than the metro, see what Cercanías is, and when it beats the metro. For a broader view of how all these pieces connect, the Getting Around section covers fares, cards and networks across the city, including options like BiciMAD, Madrid’s electric bike-share system, which sits outside the abono system entirely but is often used alongside it.
Access Madrid is an independent guide written from published, checkable sources. We have not visited the places described here and we do not publish personal recommendations or invented ‘local favourites’ — where something is singled out as notable, we say who says so. Opening times, fares, closures and prices change at short notice, so treat everything here as a starting point and confirm with the museum, operator or venue directly before building a day around it. We give no advice on visas, insurance, health or safety; use your own government’s official guidance for those.