New Unified Ticket for Mallorca: What Changes for Commuters and Tourists

A Card for Everything: Targeta única Is Coming

If you’re standing at Plaça d’Espanya in the morning and take the bus to work, you’ll probably soon have to carry fewer tickets. The Balearic government and the Palma City Council this week presented the new Targeta única: a unified ticket for bus, rail and metro on Mallorca.

When will the card be available and who must swap?

The start is planned for as early as October. The card will be issued in the offices of the regional transport authority (Consorcio de Transportes de Mallorca) and in some Palma citizen offices. A tip for anyone with the current citizen card: You must actively apply for the new card, because the old citizen card will no longer count as a ticket after the first quarter of 2026. Those who already use the Intermodal Card can continue to use it as before for now.

Technology, numbers and small everyday conveniences

The officials call the step "technologically significant" — and they mean it. The new infrastructure is based on intermodal technology, so transfers and networks will be recognized more reliably in the future. Practically: The card can be topped up online and in EMT buses contactless payment by bank card will be possible for the first time. The bank card can then function as a ticket and should detect whether a transfer is involved.

What is still open

Prices and the final fare system have not been fixed yet. A model is planned that rewards frequent travelers — the more you travel and the further you go, the cheaper it could become. However, using an anonymous bank card initially means that families or residents without a registered user profile do not automatically benefit from residency discounts: in such cases the standard price would apply.

What this means for daily travel

For many commuters that means less rummaging in the wallet, for tourists a simpler system without a wild ticket search. At the same time, questions remain: When exactly will the old systems be phased out? How quickly will the machines respond to contactless payments? And what discounts apply between municipalities?

I saw a poster this morning in Palma featuring Minister José Luis Mateo and Councillor Antonio Deudero posing with an oversized map — a nice picture, but the real test will be the practice: the app feature, topping up at lunchtime, acceptance in small rural buses. Those who travel to Palma by train more often or who regularly use EMT should follow the announcements and swap their card in time.

Conclusion: The Targeta única sounds like a real relief for daily life. Still: Only when prices, transition periods and data privacy details are settled will we know whether the system truly satisfies everyone.