Bla Bla Bus renews contract with Sarfa

Following several months of negotiation, Sarfa has signed a partnership agreement with the company BlaBlabus – the operator of several intercity lines in France – to operate the routes starting or finishing in the city of Barcelona. The specific lines subject to this agreement are:

 

Marseille – Montpellier – Barcelona

Marseille – Nîmes – Montpellier – Perpignan – Barcelona

Bordeaux – Toulouse – Perpignan – Barcelona

Lyon – Montpellier – Perpignan – Barcelona

Paris – Lyon – Barcelona

Barcelona – Perpignan – Carcassonne – Toulouse – Paris

 

The agreement will last four years, during which time Sarfa must provide the service according to the image and quality standards and measures defined by BlaBlaBus. The buses are fully identified with the service image and the drivers are especially chosen for their quality and skill, as well as because they can speak to passengers in French, Spanish and Catalan.

 

This agreement consolidates Sarfa’s presence in France, with services it has been providing non-stop since 2014.

 

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.

Sant Cugat launches ‘Carles’ on-demand transport pilot scheme

This new smart and shared form of transport will adapt itself to the journeys that its passengers need to take

The service, which can be booked using an app developed by the start-up Shotl, seeks to offer a more flexible alternative to improve local mobility

As from Friday, 10 July, the local council and Moventia will launch a pilot scheme to test a new flexible and smart on-demand transport service that will connect passengers and drivers in real time.

Over the course of 21 days, a fleet of four 9-seater vehicles will travel the city adapting their routes to the demand from users who have previously requested the service via the ‘Carles’ app.

The goal for this trial, which will be free for its users, is to study the results from a temporary urban transport service aimed at complementing the municipal public transport service in order to respond to new mobility needs in the city.

The impact on demand from this new service as an alternative to using private vehicles will be measured between 10 and 31 July. The results will then be analysed to assess the possible continuation of the service or another with similar characteristics. 

How it works

To request the new service, users will need to first download the ‘Carles’ app developed by the start-up Shotl and available for iOS and Android. Using this app, people will be able to enter the details of their journey (origin and destination) and book a seat. They will then need to travel to the collection point (start of the journey) and complete their journey in the vehicle.

Based on a series of algorithms, the ‘Carles’ app will distribute and optimise the journeys and routes taken by the vehicles and inform users about seat availability at all times.

Timetables

The pilot scheme will run between 10 and 31 July at the following times:

  • Mondays to Thursdays from 07:00 to 21:00
  • Fridays and Saturdays from 10:00 to 00:00

The service will be provided by experienced drivers in passenger transport and under a strict health and safety protocol. The seats will be disinfected after each journey and the vehicle interiors and air filters will be subject to ozone treatment every day to prevent contagion.

More information about the pilot scheme can be found at: https://prova-pilot.gocarles.com/

 

 

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.

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.

 

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.

Moventis joins the Women in Transport platform

Moventis, the business unit of the Moventia group engaged in collective passenger mobility, is maintaining its commitment to people and society by joining the Women in Transport – EU Platform for Change. This initiative seeks to foster equality and parity between men and women in the transport sector.

By signing this manifesto promoted by the European Commission, Moventis has demonstrated its commitment to encouraging women in work and sharing the best practices and ideas in this regard with the other transport companies forming part of this platform. Joan Giménez (Managing Director of Moventis) explained that “the goal set by the company is for 30% of all new employees to be women”.

This action forms part of the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility Policy, which is focused on a commitment to people, society, the environment and quality of service.

At the same time, efforts continue to maintain a workplace Equal Opportunities Plan for men and women at all companies within the Moventia group.

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”.

Moventis Casas improves links between Teià, Alella, El Masnou and Barcelona

From Monday, 2 March, Moventis Casas will improve the service offered on its C8 line (linking Teià, Alella, El Masnou and Barcelona) by adding another vehicle and allowing six more services to run in each direction every day Monday to Friday.

At the presentation held earlier today at Teià Town Hall, details were provided about the new services that will run from Teià towards Barcelona at 07:15, 08:45, 12:45, 14:15, 15:45 and 17:15, passing through Alella and El Masnou. The additional return services from Barcelona will run at 08:00, 10:00, 13:30, 15:00, 16:30 and 18:00.

The event was attended by the Transport and Mobility Manager, David Saldoni; the Mayor of Teià, Andreu Bosch; the Mayor of El Masnou, Jaume Oliveras; the Mayor of Alella, Marc Almendro; the Managing Director of Moventis, Josep Maria Martí; and the General Manager of Casas, Miguel Angel Salas.

According to the Department of Regional Affairs and Sustainability, a total of 69,202 passengers used this line last year – four times more than four years ago.

Sarsa Skoda opens new facility in Sant Cugat del Vallès

Sarsa, the official dealership for Seat, Volkswagen, Audi, Skoda and Cupra, has opened a new facility focused on selling and providing after-sales services for Skoda vehicles in Sant Cugat del Vallès.

Located at 16-32 Calle Mercè Rodoreda in the city, where Sarsa already sells Volkswagen vehicles, the space measures over 300 m2, has 9 vehicles on show and provides 3 jobs.

The new space is fitted with the latest technology and based on an innovative concept. “We’re sure this facility will be highly popular with our customers”, explained Jordi Domenech, the Manager of Sarsa Seat Skoda. “Adding a new Sarsa space in the city is great news”, he added.