Moventis Stands Out as a Transport Operator for Various Entities

A number of service contracts have been signed recently deriving from public tenders awarded to Moventis group companies in Catalonia.

Thus, Moventis will operate school transport services for the district Consejo Comarcal del Vallès Occidental through its companies Izaro and Calella, handling the local primary and secondary school routes on a 5-year contract which once again positions the group in the region as the leader in collective transport just as it historically has been. Along the same lines, a contract has also been signed with the district Consejo Comarcal del Gironès, under which Izaro and SARFA will manage some transport services.

Also in the school transport business, the contract with the district Consejo Comarcal del Baix Llobregat has been renewed so that the same services it has been offering will continue in addition to others which Izaro will operate along with TCC.

In the field of sports, four of the major Catalan clubs: Girona Fútbol Club and C. E. Sabadell, Básquet Girona and Unió Esportiva Costa Brava, have placed their trust in the Moventis Group as Autocares Calella will handle the athletes’ travel throughout the championship.

What’s more, Moventis will continue accompanying the Symphonic Orchestra of El Vallès for all of its travel throughout the territory, thereby reaffirming the commitment to support culture as is evident after having been awarded the Entity Committed to Culture Seal from the Catalonia Culture Foundation in collaboration with the Universitat de Girona Chair of Social Responsibility.

Other public entities have continued trusting in Moventis transport services for their personnel travel such as the Photonic Science Institute (ICFO), which has extended its service contract for the next 5 years. On the other hand, the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB) has also renewed its personnel transport service contract for another year. Both of these services are operated by Izaro.

Finally, the contract for the FGC Vallvidrera Cable Car replacement services was once again awarded to Izaro this summer.

It’s all no doubt thanks to the great work done by Moventia personnel.

CityBike Presents the New Stockholm Public Bicycle Service

CityBike Global chose VAIMOO as a strategic partner for the supply of electric bikes for this new public service in the Swedish capital which is expected to be one of the largest in Europe and the world.

CityBike Global, the leading micro-mobility company in Europe and Latin America, which belongs to Moventia Group, was awarded the public electric bike service in the city of Stockholm after signing an agreement with the city council to implement this new mode of transport throughout the city. The company is thus reinforcing its European presence and consolidating its international leadership in public shared bike services which are already being offered in cities like Helsinki, Paris and Lima.

For this new project, which is expected to be one of the largest in Europe and the world, CityBike Global chose VAIMOO as a strategic partner to supply the more than 5,100 smart electric bikes needed. Its experience supplying these types of models in other European biking mobility capital cities like Copenhagen, Rotterdam and in the United Kingdom, made it the best choice for City Bike Global for the provision of this service in Stockholm. In fact, the Stockholm e-bike is a version of the CES 2021 award-winning VAIMOO e-bike which has been specifically adapted to meet the city’s mobility needs.

The new e-bike sharing programme in the Swedish capital will equip the city with thousands of new efficient and sustainable vehicles considering this bike model’s recycled aluminium frame and fast large-capacity interchangeable battery. Available 24 hours a day all year long, the electric bikes will be connected to a flexible management system which can be integrated with those already existing to help decongest urban traffic. This flexible system can set up virtual stations where vehicles can be parked after each trip.

As stated by Jordi Cabañas, CEO of CityBike Global, “We’re proud to have been chosen by the city as a partner to operate this strategic service which will provide the citizens of Stockholm with an alternative active mobility choice. This new CityBike project reinforces our position as a European leader in public micro-mobility services.”

“This agreement takes VAIMOO electric bikes to another world biking capital,” said Matteo Pertosa, CEO and Founder of VAIMOO, adding, “The tie to CityBike Global in the Stockholm project is a source of great pride for me personally as well as for the entire VAIMOO team, which is continuously committed to designing and implementing public biking systems that can be easily integrated for alternative, sustainable and inclusive mobility.”

Moventis Cruise Bus resumes service with new compressed natural gas vehicles

Moventis is resuming its Cruise Bus service. This is a shuttle bus service connecting the Port of Barcelona with the Moll de Barcelona C next to the World Trade Center and is operated by Transports Ciutat Comtal (TCC) – a company owned by Moventis.
Following suspension of this service due to the pandemic, the Cruise Bus service is now resuming as the first cruise passengers start returning to Barcelona. Furthermore, the service will now use some new compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles in reflection of the Moventis commitment to sustainable mobility.
The Cruise Bus service specifically connects the cruise ship terminals at Muelle Adosado and Portal de la Pau with the start of the Ramblas de Barcelona and other transport services that connect with the city centre. The journey takes five minutes and is the best option for both passing cruise passengers who wish to visit Barcelona and passengers either starting or ending their cruise in Barcelona.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.cruisebus.barcelona

 

Moventia joins the Mobility Institute

Moventia is joining the Mobility Institute, the collaborative platform created by RACC and Deloitte to analyse new mobility trends and technologies worldwide and their application to specific markets in Spain. The benchmark mobility and public transport business group will now take part in defining the mobility of the future by bringing its experience to the table and pushing for mobility to be more innovative, safer and more sustainable.

With the addition of Moventia, this platform now enjoys the support of over 50 member entities, including companies, bodies and operators. The Mobility Institute studies urban mobility from a 360º perspective, getting the consumer, technology, companies and public authorities involved in the issue. It also gathers the main stakeholders in the sector to establish synergies between them and help them make decisions about their business in pursuit of competitiveness and efficiency in the field of mobility.

According to Miquel Martí Pierre, Expansion and Investments Analysis Director at Moventia, “this is a great opportunity for us to form part of this public-private business platform and to join in this debate on the mobility of the future alongside other stakeholders in the sector. It is an experience that will enrich all of us and through which we are convinced we will successfully establish lines of action for a mobility of the future that is more technological, innovative and, at the same time, safer and more environmentally friendly”.

Ricard Casalins, RACC Coordinator of the Mobility Institute, said that “having the vision of companies like Moventia, with its extensive and outstanding track record in the field of mobility, is key to our work of analysing the future of mobility, the users of such services and the new business models that are emerging in response to the far-reaching changes taking place in terms of how we get around”.

New hybrid Villavesas

At an event held on 9 July at the Transporte Urbano Comarcal bus depot, the Association of Municipalities of the Region of Pamplona presented the 10 new hybrid buses that will join the company’s bus fleet from today. The event was attended by the Transport Director of the Association of Municipalities of the Region of Pamplona, Jesús Velasco, and the Managing Director of the Moventia Group, Josep María Martí.

The 10 new vehicles are ‘Lions’s City 19C EfficientHybrid’ articulated MAN vehicles measuring 18 metres in length. They are powered by 265 kW hybrid diesel-electric motors. Each vehicle can carry a total of 141 passengers (38 seated), plus two wheelchairs.

The new buses comply with the EURO VI pollution limits set by the European Union. They are all fitted with safety screens (all TUC buses have been fitted with screens to protect drivers during the pandemic) and security video cameras, meaning that almost the entire fleet has this system. Furthermore, the ten Villavesas are fitted with the Mobileye active safety system that uses five cameras on each vehicle to warn the driver of any imminent collision risks. Finally, it should be pointed out that the new vehicles have a wheelchair access ramp approved by CERMIN (the Committee of Entities Representing Persons with Disability of Navarre) since an improved, more stable and functional model was launched in March and added to new vehicles joining the fleet in 2020.

The purchase of these vehicles was awarded in 2020 and they are ready to enter service now that the registration paperwork has been completed. Each vehicle has cost 402,850.00 euros (excl. VAT).

Jesús Velasco said that “the arrival of these ten new buses has injected new material into the fleet, increased safety and advanced the sustainability of our service. All this will have a positive impact on both the people who use the transport service and the driver staff who will work on the new vehicles”.

In turn, Josep María Martí spoke about the exceptional situation in which the TUC has found itself since 14 March last year, recognising the efforts made by all employees to continue providing the service. He also wished to remind everyone that the TUC is a safe means of transport to which hygiene and control protocols have been applied.

LATEST HYBRID DIESEL-ELECTRIC VEHICLES
The buses revealed today are the latest hybrid diesel-electric vehicles to join the Transporte Urbano Comarcal fleet following approval at the MCP Assembly on 30 June for the 2nd Less Polluting Energies Plan of the TUC aimed at the progressive replacement of polluting buses. As a result, the MCP will steadily abandon the use of diesel in the Urban Transport fleet and will seek to add buses powered by compressed natural gas (CNG) with a Guarantee of Renewable Origin (GdO).

The final goal is for the association of municipalities to start providing carbon-neutral services in 2030. The main action in this regard is a circular economy project under which the biogas produced from the treatment of waste water and organic material in rubbish will be used as fuel for the heavy vehicle fleets operated by the association of municipalities: the TUC buses, the rubbish trucks and the Integrated Water Cycle maintenance vehicles.

A FLEET OF 159 VEHICLES WITH AN AVERAGE AGE OF 6.76 YEARS
The addition of these 10 new vehicles and the removal of the eight oldest vehicles means that the TUC fleet will consist of 159 vehicles (two more than a year ago) with an average vehicle age of 6.76 years. Of all the vehicles in the fleet, 61 are articulated (18 metres), 96 are 12-metre buses and two are 10-metre buses. It should be noted that the addition of these new vehicles means that Transporte Urbano Comarcal now has 66 hybrid and six electric vehicles. In other words, 45% of the fleet consists of environmentally efficient vehicles.

The safety of Moventis, once again guaranteed by Applus+

Moventis has been assessed by Applus+ in terms of health and safety for another year. The company earned the new Applus+ Hygiene and Control Protocols certification applicable to the transport and tourist services sector in compliance with its action protocols against risks stemming from COVID-19.

This certification guarantees the health and safety measures implemented by Moventis and recognises its strict compliance in various areas, such as the physical environment with basic and hygiene measures as well as technical measures, and the working environment with organisational measures that include checks on personnel at every company forming part of Moventis.

Applus+ analyses the protocols in place at organisations and companies, and verifies their suitability in terms of current regulations, as well as the actions required based on the situation. Once these protocols have been validated, the client’s premises are audited on site to analyse the effective implementation of the requirements established by the protocols. 

This procedure reaffirms the mission undertaken by Moventis as a business group that is committed to people, society, the environment and the quality of all its services.

Diversity Charter

19 Moventia companies have now signed the Diversity Charter, an initiative promoted by the Diversity Foundation in Spain with support from the European Commission, the Spanish Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality, the Department of Enterprise and Occupation of the Regional Government of Catalonia and the employers’ associations CEOE, Fomento del Trabajo and PIMEC.

Specifically, four Moventis companies have renewed their membership of this initiative (Marfina Bus, Marfina S.L., Sarfa and TCC SA), which have now been joined by Autobusos de Lleida, Autocares Calella, Auto Pla Vic 4×4, Avenix, Casas, Comercial Martí, Ízaro, La Vallesana, Marfina Serveis, Motorprim, Moventis Illes, Sarsa Vallés, Stern Motor and TCC2 SL.

The companies from the Moventia group were the first in the mobility sector to join this commitment and have been renewing their support since 2012.

The Diversity Charter represents a commitment to promoting the main principles of equality, respect for everybody’s right to inclusion regardless of profile and recognition of the benefits to be gained from cultural, demographic and social diversity within the organisation. It also supports the implementation of policies to foster a prejudice-free working environment and non-discrimination programmes for disadvantaged groups.

As part of their commitment to promoting equality and inclusion in the workplace, the companies of the Moventia group that have voluntarily signed the Diversity Charter respect the rules governing equal opportunities and anti-discrimination, and assume the basic principles of awareness, inclusion, building a diverse workforce and work-life balance.

Jordi Castells on TV Sant Cugat

Jordi Castells, Operations Director at Moventis and General Manager at Sarbus, was invited to appear on the La Contraportada programme on TV Sant Cugat to explain how Moventis operates and what it does exactly, specifically in Sant Cugat. During the programme, Jordi Castells also spoke about the challenges faced by public transport in the immediate future. 

 

 

 

 

“Recharging infrastructure must be expanded to promote sustainable mobility”

Josep Maria Martí, CEO of Moventia and Vice-President of Moventis, took part in the 35 IESE Mobility, an annual meeting organised by the IESE Business School and Deloitte. During the course of the event, various executives in the sector highlighted how the automotive industry is getting ready for a decade that – especially in cities – is characterised by a new, increasingly more electric kind of mobility with a greater emphasis on the use of car sharing aimed at combining more different means of transportation.

Among others, this future was discussed at the event by the Chief Digital Officer of ALSA, Carlos Acha; the CEO of RACC, Xavier Pérez; the Director of Mobility of Ferrovial (MC:FER), Andrés Camacho; the Chief Strategy & Development Officer of Renfe, Manel Villalante; the CEO of EYSA, Javier Delgado; the CEO Rolling Stock of CAF (MC:CAF) and Chairman of Solaris (OTC:SPCL), Josu Imaz; and the Quality, Engineering and Strategic Programmes Director Iberia of DHL Express Spain, Rafael Pérez del Monte.

While speaking, Josep Maria Martí insisted that “recharging infrastructure must be expanded in Spain to promote this type of vehicle”, which in Barcelona remains rather lacklustre. “We should have 100,000 recharging points, not 200”, he said at the meeting. Furthermore, Josep Maria Martí stressed that this commitment should involve public-private collaboration to ensure mobility that is “more sustainable and efficient”.

All the executives taking part in the meeting also underlined the importance of harnessing the Next Generation funds to achieve greater, more rational, green, electric and social mobility. Similarly, they agreed that digitalisation alongside new technologies like ‘big data’ will change the existing mobility model in Spain, making it more sustainable, efficient and shared, through such ideas as integrated mobility.

 

 

Webinar on senior mobility

Josep Maria Martí took part in a webinar on Friday, 23 April, promoted by the Mobility Institute and presented by the Chairman of RACC, Josep Mateu, on the conclusions reached by a study conducted by this organisation in partnership with Deloitte and entitled “The boom of the future: senior mobility”. The event was used to highlight the mobility needs of the over-65s, a growing part of the population that will experience a veritable “demographic tidal wave” when everyone born during the baby boom of the 1960s reaches retirement age.

 

The round table discussion in which Josep Maria Martí took part was focused on senior mobility, both as pedestrians and as users of public transport. The Managing Director of Moventia took the opportunity to offer his own vision of mobility outside of the major cities in the metropolitan area and talked about on-demand mobility services, such as shared buses. He went on to present the projects that Moventia is currently working on in the field of group transportation to meet the needs of senior citizens.