Taking your bike on the Madrid Metro, Cercanías and buses

Mixing bike and public transport in Madrid is very handy: you take the Cercanías train in from the suburbs and ride the last bit, or you take the Metro home when it gets dark. But each network has its own rules, and they are quite different from each other. Here are the rules for the Metro, Cercanías, EMT city buses and interurban buses, taken from the official sources.

One warning first: these rules change from time to time, and operators can restrict access at any moment. If you are doing a new journey, check the official website that same day.

Metro de Madrid

The Metro has the most small print. According to the bike access rules published by the regional transport authority (Consorcio Regional de Transportes) and Metro de Madrid:

General hours

• Monday to Friday: bikes are allowed during all service hours except at peak times: 7:30 to 9:30, 14:00 to 16:00 and 18:00 to 20:00.
• Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays: all service hours.

Lines and sections with no time limits. Some lines allow bikes every day at any time, including weekday peak hours. Metro de Madrid lists lines 8, 11 and 12 and Metro Ligero line 1, and there are also specific sections of other lines, mainly meant for riders coming in from the outer towns. The exact list of sections is on the Consorcio’s “Ven en bici” map and on the Metro website. Check it first, because this is the part that changes most.

Where to stand on the train

• One bike per passenger, maximum.
• Each train takes two bikes in the first carriage and two in the last, always next to the driver’s cab. Many trains now have a marked space for bikes.
• On Metro Ligero (the light rail), bikes go in the middle cars (modules 2 and 4, the ones with double doors).

Inside the station

• No riding in corridors or on platforms.
• You can take the bike on escalators, moving walkways and lifts, as long as they are not crowded and you do not bother anyone.
• You are responsible for the bike and any damage it causes.
• Metro can restrict bike access when there are crowds, breakdowns or other incidents.

Folding and children’s bikes. Folded bikes and children’s bikes count as hand luggage and can come in on any day at any time. At peak times, a folding bike must be folded before you board the train.

Bike parking. Some stations have bike racks, used on a first come, first served basis.

Cercanías Madrid (Renfe commuter trains)

This is much simpler. According to the Cercanías Madrid page on renfe.com:

• Your bike travels free with you on Cercanías trains.
• One bike per passenger, maximum.
• It goes in the marked bike spaces. If the train has none, it goes on the entrance platform, without blocking aisles or seats that cannot fold up.
• If the train is full and there is no room for the bike, you can take another train or ask for a refund of your ticket.
• The bike is your responsibility: loading it, watching it and unloading it.

Renfe’s general bike page also says a folded bike counts as hand luggage.

The Cercanías Madrid page does not set time slots for bikes. Even so, some rush hour trains are so full there is no room, and then the “take the next train” rule applies. If you rely on the train every day, try the journey once when you are not in a hurry before you count on it.

Many stations have bike parking, so sometimes it makes more sense to leave the bike at your station and use another bike (or a BiciMAD public bike) at the other end.

EMT city buses (the blue ones)

The EMT rule is short and strict. According to the EMT accessibility page and the City Council’s bike office:

• Folding bikes only, about the size of hand luggage, and only if the bus is not too full.
• You must fold it before getting on.
• Only one bike per bus.
• It goes on the middle platform, held by its owner.
• If there is not enough room, wheelchairs and baby buggies have priority over the bike, which may have to get off.

What about a normal bike? EMT only allows unfolded bikes on buses fitted with a special external bike rack. If you do not see one on the bus, do not count on getting a normal bike on board.

Interurban buses (the green ones)

Green buses are run under the regional transport authority, not the EMT, and have their own rules.

• Since the 2017 change to the interurban passenger regulations, you can board with a bike when there is space, always respecting the priority of people with reduced mobility in the reserved spaces. Before that, bikes went in the luggage hold.
• In January 2026 the Comunidad de Madrid approved an order on what objects you can carry on these buses. Along with backpacks, suitcases and instruments, it specifically mentions children’s balance bikes. It also says objects go in the luggage hold first when the bus has one, properly secured, and that the driver can refuse entry if there is no space or the bus is very full.

In practice, the driver has the final say. For a long trip with your bike, avoid the busiest hours and have a plan B.

Quick summary

	Normal bike	Folding bike
Metro	Yes, except weekday peak hours (apart from lines and sections with no limits)	Yes, always. Folded at peak hours
Cercanías	Yes, free, if there is room	Yes, as hand luggage
EMT	Only on buses with an external rack	Yes, folded and if there is room
Interurban	If there is space and the driver agrees	If there is space and the driver agrees

Tips the rules do not mention

• Bring a clean bike. If it has rained, wipe the wheels before going in. People will thank you.
• Watch the chain in the carriage: it marks the clothes of whoever is next to you. Keep the drivetrain side facing the wall.
• Hold the bike still while the train moves: grip the handlebar with the front brake on.
• A folding bike changes everything. If you plan to combine bike and transport every day, a folding bike removes almost all the restrictions.

When the bike is not fit to travel

If you are thinking about public transport because the bike is not working well (a puncture that keeps going flat, weak brakes, a wheel that rubs), it may make more sense to fix it than to carry it along platforms. On madridbikes.com you tell us what is wrong, in English or Spanish, and we assign a partner workshop in your area.

Sources: bike access rules for Metro and Metro Ligero (Consorcio Regional de Transportes de Madrid and metromadrid.es), Cercanías Madrid page and bike page on renfe.com, accessibility page on emtmadrid.es, Madrid City Council bike office, Consorcio note on the 2017 interurban passenger regulations and the Order of 13 January 2026 (BOCM, 28 January 2026).