16 New VILLAVESA Buses

At an event held this morning at the Pamplona City Transport bus depot, the Association of Municipalities of the Region of Pamplona presented the 16 new hybrid buses that will join the company’s bus fleet from today. The event was attended by the Councillor for Territorial Cohesion of the Regional Government of Navarre, Bernardo Ciriza, the President of the Association of Municipalities of the Region of Pamplona, David Campión, and the Managing Director of Moventia Group, Josep María Martí.

Of the 16 new vehicles, seven are ‘Lions’s City 18C EfficientHybrid’ articulated MAN vehicles measuring 18 metres in length. They are fitted with hybrid 265 kW motors. Each vehicle can carry a total of 152 passengers (37 seated), plus two wheelchairs.

The other nine vehicles (12 metres in length) are the ‘Lions’s City 12C EfficientHybrid’ model from MAN. They are also fitted with 206 kW hybrid motors. Each of these vehicles can carry a total of 105 passengers (23 seated), plus two wheelchairs.

It should be stressed that all 16 vehicles meet the EURO VI pollution limits set by the European Union. They are all fitted with safety screens and security video cameras, meaning that the entire fleet has this system.

The purchase of these vehicles was awarded in 2019 and they are scheduled to enter service during the first fortnight of July once the vehicle registration process can be completed following a delay due to the coronavirus crisis.

A fleet of 159 vehicles with an average age of 6.75 years

The addition of these 16 new vehicles and the withdrawal from service of the five oldest means that the TUC fleet now consists of 159 vehicles with an average age of 6.75 years. Of all the vehicles in the fleet, 57 are articulated (18 metres), 100 are 12-metre buses and two are 10-metre buses. In anticipation of future needs due to possible capacity restrictions over the coming months as a result of COVID-19, 11 of the buses that should have been replaced by the new vehicles are being kept in temporary reserve and will be withdrawn from service at a later date.

It should be noted that the addition of these new vehicles into the fleet operated by Pamplona City Transport means there are now 56 hybrid vehicles and six electric vehicles running in the region; in other words, 39% of the fleet consists of environmentally efficient vehicles.

Ongoing solidarity from Movento

Movento has maintained its solidarity initiatives during the pandemic. Sarsa has provided three vehicles to the Consorci Sanitari de Terrassa [Terrassa Health Consortium] to help combat the coronavirus. These cars will provide support for house calls to patients who have already been discharged from hospital.

The entity was hugely grateful to the dealership for this move, as it gives front-line medical staff more resources to provide their highly professional services. The vehicles provided by the dealership are from its Volkswagen and Audi ranges, specifically the Tiguan, Polo and A1 models.

The Terrassa Health Consortium (CST) is a healthcare organisation that provides ongoing and coordinated healthcare services to the more than 200,000 inhabitants of Terrassa (Barcelona).

 

Sarsa also provided a Crafter van to the designer Miriam Ponsa to help distribute the overalls and face masks she has produced during the pandemic. 3,000 units per week have been delivered to various health centres in Catalonia. Overalls were also donated to Open Arms for professionals working at elderly care homes.

The following video shows the work being done by the designer: https://vimeo.com/427672713

 

In turn, Stern Motor has provided industrial vehicles (Sprinter, Vito, Citan) to local councils and customers to help combat the coronavirus. The recipients include: Torre de Claramunt Town Council for medical house calls and food deliveries; Falck Ambulancies to set up field hospitals; Joan Ribaroja to distribute medical equipment, PPE, disinfection equipment and separation screens; Altima Serveis Funeraris for equipment relocation and services; Sentmenat Town Council for medical house calls and food deliveries; and Castellar del Vallès Town Council for medical house calls and food deliveries

 

The Stern Motor team has also decided to support the solidarity-focused initiative undertaken by Nandu Jubany and the high-quality specialised kitchen clothing company CSTY, who have worked together to design charity face masks to help raise funds for research against the coronavirus.

The #ConUnaSonrisa campaign seeks to raise funds for research projects launched by Bellvitge University Hospital and the Catalan Oncology Institute to curb the epidemic and prevent new outbreaks.

These numerous initiatives have no doubt helped alleviate the impact of this pandemic for many people.

CityBike announces investment by Sherpa Capital in the company

Sherpa Capital, a private equity fund manager for investments in medium-sized enterprises with 300 million euros behind it, has announced its decision to invest in CityBike, a Spanish company set up by the Moventia Group in 2014 and a benchmark in the European micro-mobility market, specifically in the field of public bicycle system operation.

 

CityBike was set up in 2014 as a micro-mobility division of the Moventia Group, one of the country’s leaders in the transport sector, after being awarded the public bicycle system tender in Helsinki. Since then, CityBike has consolidated its position as one of the European benchmarks in this field and is the operator of another three concessions in Finland and Peru.

 

CityBike excels because of its unique offer in the European market as an independent operator of shared bicycle systems, its excellent track record in the concessions it already operates and a network of technology and trade partners that allow it to offer a unique solution tailored to meet the mobility needs of specific cities. This value proposition is supported by an outstanding human team led by Jordi Cabañas, General Manager of the company since it was set up and formerly Head of SmartBikes at one of the historical leaders in the shared bicycle segment.

 

At a sectoral level, public (or shared) bicycles offer an urban mobility alternative that is environmentally friendly and enables traffic congestion to be reduced in cities. This interest in shared bicycles has now been heightened by the search for non-massive environmentally friendly mobility solutions and alternatives to private transport and conventional public transport due to the COVID-19 situation. All this, in combination with the attractive CityBike proposal, mean they show significant growth prospects.

 

In this context, the investment by Sherpa Capital is aimed at further strengthening CityBike as a company and driving even faster growth in its international business by implementing new shared bicycle systems.

 

Jordi Cabañas, General Manager of the Public Bicycles Division of Moventia, CityBike, believes that “the investment by Sherpa in our company consolidates our international growth project and puts us in an excellent position to target the implementation of a large number of shared bicycle systems in cities across Europe and Latin America.”

 

Miquel Martí Pierre, Head of Expansion at Moventia, says “Moventia is extremely happy with this opportunity to continue growing one of our strategic divisions, public bicycles, now in partnership with Sherpa Capital. This is another opportunity for the group to consolidate the efforts and investments it has already made over the last 10 years in the micro-mobility sector, essential for any city and country wishing to make a clear commitment to sustainable mobility that can complement existing models.”

 

Lars Becker, a Partner at Sherpa, believes that “the investment by Sherpa in CityBike will give the company access to resources for implementing its expansion plan and will also serve to support the senior management team at an organisational level with a focus on commercial development and business scalability. Moventia’s extensive experience will also provide support throughout this process, as it will continue to offer highly valuable backing for the development of CityBike.”

 

Arcano and Scala Legal provided financial and legal consultancy services to Moventia-CityBike for the deal, respectively, with DLA Piper and KPMG acting as legal and financial advisers to Sherpa.

Hildegard Wortmann from Audi AG visits Sarsa Audi in Terrassa

Ms. Hildegard Wortmann, Member of the Board of Management of Audi AG for Marketing and Sales in Germany, was accompanied by Martin Sander, Mohamed Jaber and Bernhard Pflock from Audi AG, as well as a number of executives from Audi Spain, on a visit to Moventia yesterday. During the visit, they were told about what the company does and the people behind all that hard work. They were then given a detailed tour of the new modern installations at Sarsa Audi Terrassa.

Ms. Wortmann was accompanied on the tour by numerous Sarsa employees, who showed her around the various installations and spaces on site. She was very friendly with our staff and helped create a very relaxed atmosphere for the whole visit.

Audi chose the Sarsa-Audi dealership in Terrassa as the leading benchmark in Spain.

 

Motorprim renews its sponsorship with Barcelona Royal Polo Club

Motorprim, the official Hyundai dealership of the Movento group, has renewed its sponsorship agreement and become an institutional partner of the Barcelona Royal Polo Club after signing a two-year contract.

The Barcelona Royal Polo Club is one of the most important sports clubs in the world. It hosts both national and international competitions, such as the Barcelona Polo Challenge, the International Hockey Reyes Tournament and the Barcelona International Show Jumping Contest (CSIO Barcelona).

By renewing this partnership, Motorprim will become a Title Sponsor of the CSIO Barcelona Grand Prix and, for the 2020 season, the official vehicle of the club and its main events, as well as a sponsor of the Polo Music Festival.

Motorprim is thrilled to bring such brands as Hyundai to our customers through a commitment not only to quality but also to such values as sportsmanship, companionship, respect and fair play.

Motorprim joins the ‘Together on the Asphalt’ campaign by Hyundai

Motorprim, the official Hyundai dealership of the Movento group, will provide a support car to all those cycling associations and clubs that ask for one to use whenever they go out training on the roads.

This is the Motorprim dealership’s way of taking part in the ‘Together on the Asphalt’ campaign launched by Hyundai in 2017, which seeks to protect cyclists and foster more civilised road sharing between cyclists and motor vehicle drivers. Presence at the back of the pack by the Hyundai vehicle fitted with special liveries will ensure that any vehicles overtaking the cyclists do so correctly, respecting the 1.5-metre distance required by law.

“Safety on the roads is essential, and that’s why we have joined this campaign”, explained Lluís Conesa, General Manager of Motorprim. “It is very important for vehicles and cyclists to protect one another, and we encourage all cycling clubs and associations to join the ‘Together on the Asphalt’ campaign”, he added.

All cycling associations and clubs that want a free support car can request one at: www.hyundai.es/experience/hyundaienaccion/juntos-en-el-asfalto

Staff from Moventis Pays de Montbéliard support community projects

The entire human team at Moventis Pays de Montbéliard has always worked hard every day to bring together the various areas that make up our local community, providing a meeting place for the wide variety of people who live and work here.

This area has a large number of associations and local residents that are actively involved in many projects by cultural, religious and sports associations, encouraging the spread of values and integration among the young population. For that reason, and through a wish to bring the service closer to its neighbours and for them to see its transport service as an ally, Moventis Pays de Montbéliard sponsored a boxing match in the region last week. The various lines of the Evolity network run by Moventis connect the entire region with the sports centre where the fight took place. Moventis thus showed its support for local projects in demonstration of its desire to continue being a quality service that makes it easier for people and the various communities to get around.

 

TCC Pamplona uses Is-Pure antibacterial seats

Coaches and buses are enclosed spaces that contain an ever-changing and significant number of people. For that reason, cleaning and disinfecting these spaces is an essential task for both manufacturers and operators. Seats are one of the on-board items most prone to getting dirty.

Fully aware of the current situation, TCC Pamplona has been committed for some time to the Is-Pure system for its seats. These seats provide antibacterial protection, slow the formation of odours, offer protection and improve hygiene and comfort. The Is-Pure system is based on action by silver ions (Ag+).

According to Ramon Palau, General Manager of TCC Pamplona, “we are pioneers in this regard, because we conducted tests with the fabric even before it was brought to market, some seven years ago. Furthermore, the new units we will receive in June will also include this technology”, he explained.

In terms of seat cleaning, Ramon Palau said that “we’re talking about something you can’t see, that passengers don’t notice, but forms part of our ongoing improvement efforts. We constantly research and introduce anything that can help improve our customer service. It’s just another safety feature”.

Department for Regional Affairs and Sustainability improves connection with UAB-exprés.cat (e3)

The Department of Regional Affairs and Sustainability is increasing public transport in the corridor between Barcelona, Cerdanyola and the UAB, with 15 new outbound services and 16 new return services on school days. The number of services is also being increased in August, with 30 new services in each direction for the first week of August and three new services in each direction for all other working days in August. Finally, the number of weekend services is being increased with one additional service in each direction on working Saturdays and eight new services in each direction on Sundays and public holidays.

These new timetables require an investment in two new environmentally certified vehicles. These efforts mean that a bus will run every 15 minutes on average between Barcelona and Cerdanyola del Vallès on school days.

The line between Barcelona and the UAB carried 1,103,095 passengers in 2019, an increase of 20.75% on the previous year.

The Department of Regional Affairs and Sustainability is thus continuing its efforts and maintaining its commitment to improve mobility in the low emissions zone of the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona (Spanish acronym: ZBE) that has been in effect since 1 January 2020.