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Spain

Barcelona

A Mediterranean city dotted with Gaudí's architecture. Beneath the grid of the Eixample, the metro runs everywhere.

Bus (TMB / NitBus)

On TMB buses the driver sells nothing and cash is not accepted. A tap on the reader by the cab buys and validates one single ticket - that bus only. To transfer, load an integrated T-casual first.

Updated on August 5, 2026

How to ride

  1. 1
    Have a ticket or a card ready before you board
    TMB drivers sell no tickets. Buy one in advance, or have a contactless bank card (phone or watch works) ready as you board.
  2. 2
    Board through the front door
    Get on through the first door - the contactless reader sits in front of the driver's cab.
  3. 3
    Tap the reader to buy and validate
    Tapping a bank card buys one single ticket and validates it at the same time. Travelling with others, tap once for each person.
  4. 4
    Check the sound and the light
    With a bank card, one short single note means it worked; two notes mean it did not. On T-mobilitat, green is fine, red is not.
  5. 5
    Keep the ticket until you get off
    Keep the validated ticket to the end of the trip. A card purchase issues no paper - quote the card's last four digits.

Fares

Single fares1

Single ticket bought on board (bitllet senzill)
Non-integrated - it covers that one bus and cannot be used for any other bus or journey
2.9 EUR ≈ $3

Passes & multi-ride3

T-casual (10 journeys, integrated)
Ten journeys for one person at the zone 1 price; loaded onto a T-mobilitat support
13 EUR ≈ $15
T-dia (24 hours unlimited)
Twenty-four hours from the first validation rather than a calendar day; one person, zone 1
12 EUR ≈ $13
T-familiar (8 journeys, shareable)
Eight journeys over 30 days from the first validation, and one card can be shared
11.5 EUR ≈ $13

Card itself1

Anonymous T-mobilitat card (the support itself)
This buys the support, not a fare; it is cardboard and needs no registration
1 EUR ≈ $1

Estimates use exchange rates as of November 4, 2026

Payment

Tap to ride
VISAMastercardAmex
On TMB buses the reader by the driver buys and validates one ticket per tap
IC card
Load T-casual and similar tickets onto a T-mobilitat card (anonymous card works)
App tickets
An NFC phone can be your fare support; on iPhone you must use the wallet app
QR ticketing
The TMB App's QR single ticket was withdrawn in 2022
Paper tickets
Magnetic paper tickets are gone; fares now live on T-mobilitat supports
Cash
Not accepted on TMB buses, where drivers sell no tickets

Quick facts

Fares from
2.9 EUR+

Heads-up

  • You cannot validate twice in a row on the same route

    You cannot validate twice in a row on the same bus route. The transfer rules exclude it explicitly, alongside validating twice on the metro within one journey, so hopping off and straight back onto the same route will not go through.

Timetable

Typical duration The bus fills in the seafront and hillside gaps the metro never reaches; the backbone is the lettered H (horizontal), V (vertical) and D (diagonal) grid
Check the official site for the latest times and service status
Editor Naotaka