Madrid has one of the best public transportation systems in Europe. Syracuse Madrid will provide you with a monthly public transit card (tarjeta transporte público ) for the duration of the program that will give you access to unlimited rides on the subway (el metro ), as well as on local buses (autobús urbano ) and commuter trains (Cercanías ) within zone A. For students under the age of 26, the public transit card is valid within the whole Comunidad de Madrid.
The metro runs from 6:30 a.m. to 1:30 a.m.; however, the monthly public transit card will also allow you to ride the night buses (búhos ) from Plaza de Cibeles once the subway has closed for the night.
Your Spark card is preloaded with the amount you’ll need to top up your transportation card during your program dates. Cards may be loaded with credit at touch-screen kiosks at metro stations and the credit is valid for 30 days.
If your card gets lost or stolen, Student Life will provide you with information on how to obtain a replacement card. If you replace the card within the month for which you had credit, the remaining credit will be maintained; however, you’ll be responsible for the card replacement fee which is 6€ as of October 2016.