Public transport in Bilbao is modern, comfortable, very reliable and also quite accessible for disabled persons or people with babies.
The main means of transport to travel inside Bilbao are: bus, underground train and tram, but there are some others like the funicular railway to mount Artxanda or elevators and escalators to get to some high places.
There is a magnetic card (BARIK) you can buy (for 3€) and use for all the different means of transport available in Bilbao. But not only in Bilbao, because you can also use it for most of the public means of transport in Bizkaia.
The prices for one trip with BARIK were in 2011: bus (0,57€), underground (0,72€), tram (0,65€). The funicular railway (0,54€), most elevators are for free and, of course, escalators are for free.
[update 2014: bilbobus (0,64€), underground (0,82€ / 0,99€ / 1,10€ depending on how many zones). Tram and funicular I don’t use regularly so I don’t kow, but you can guess. 😉 ]
Appart from getting a better price, another advantage of using BARIK is that you will get a discount if you need to use two different means of transport within a short period of time (in less than 45 minutes), or for example if you must combine two lines of bus (in this case the second trip has 100% discount).
When you don’t have engouh money for a trip in your BARIK, it is possible that it will allow you to travel and set your account in red numbers (but don’t expect more than -1€).
If you travel by underground, it may be enough for a trip within the city but maybe not outside it (Bilbao is 1 zone, outside could be 2 or 3 zones). In this case when you approach the BARIK to the machine, it will warn you that you can only travel within a concret area. If you are going to travel within it, just approach your card again so that it will let you pass.
People with babies or wheelchairs have priority in some areas of buses and tram, and in the underground they usually go in the front or rear cars. In the underground this should be also the place for people carrying bicycles or other big objects.
All means of transport allow dogs that go with blind people, and some allow small dogs that people just have as a pet.
Bilbao’s underground train system has elevators in every station, so people with babies, people in wheelchairs, etc, can easily use this transport. Buses have a system for making it more easily to get inside when it’s required. And the tram I guess it always stops at the same level as the pavement (to tell the truth I never use this means of transport and never paid attention to this detail).
LIVING IN BILBAO 