A new public transport network covering nine municipalities in Trás-os-Montes launched Monday, with more than 90 routes operated by the Comunidade Intermunicipal das Terras de Trás-os-Montes (CIM-TTM). The network links Alfândega da Fé, Bragança, Macedo de Cavaleiros, Mirandela, Miranda do Douro, Mogadouro, Vila Flor, Vinhais, and Vimioso, marking the first coordinated regional public transport network for one of Portugal's most sparsely populated regions.
The service is free through September 13, according to the CIM-TTM's own announcement, an introductory period intended to let people learn the new routes and schedules before regular fares begin, not a permanent free-transit policy. Intermunicipal routes run daily; within-municipality routes run twice a week with two trips a day, except in Bragança, which has its own separate arrangement.
What it costs, and who's paying
The network costs roughly €5 million a year, funded entirely by the nine municipalities themselves, not the national government. CIM-TTM president Pedro Lima has described it as a major mobility investment for the region, and used the launch to publicly press Lisbon for financial support, arguing that other parts of Portugal already receive transport subsidies that have not been extended to Trás-os-Montes, despite the region's isolation, older population, and lack of alternative transport options.
Different from the free-transit debates elsewhere
This isn't the same conversation as the free or discounted urban transit programs already running in Porto, Gaia, and under discussion in Lisbon. Those are dense cities weighing whether to waive fares on transport networks that already exist. Trás-os-Montes didn't have a comparable regional network until this week. The free period is intended to help residents learn the new service rather than signal a permanent fare-free policy.