Renfe, Spain’s national railway service has announced an electric scooter ban on its train services, a significant change that will affect its passengers.
From December 12th, the ban will come into effect and prohibit electric scooters, unicycles, and other battery-powered mobility devices from being carried on all its train services.
The decision has come from a series of hazardous incidents that have led to battery fires on public transport from tampered or damaged batteries, use of incompatible chargers, and general wear and tear.
Electric bicycles and vehicles for individuals with mobility impairments are excluded from this ban. Renfe’s board of directors have stated that public health and passenger safety are the main reason behind this new policy, ensuring its services run smoother and safer.
This move follows similar measures that have been taken from regional Spanish train services and from European countries. UK & Ireland rail operators, as well as the city of Hamburg in Germany, have also restricted electric scooter usage on their trains.
Once the ban comes into effect, Renfe can ask passengers carrying prohibited electric vehicles to disembark and will have security officers carrying out random inspections on their trains.
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Annick Roetynck, LEVA-EU Manager, visited the three-day conference to engage with attendees and topics in the mobility sector.
The Urban Mobility Days 2023 conference, held in Seville, Spain, was organized by the European Commission, Directorate-General for Mobility & Transport (DG MOVE), in collaboration with the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU. This significant event attracted over 800 participants from various parts of Europe and beyond, with both in-person and remote attendance options. The conference served as a platform for the exchange of ideas, insights, and innovations in the realm of sustainable urban mobility.
Key topics discussed during the event included the establishment of a common European mobility data space, strategies for facilitating a Just Transition, and methods for integrating shared-mobility solutions into the urban mobility landscape. Given that 2023 was designated as the European Year of Skills, the conference also placed a special emphasis on developing and honing transport-related skills.
Attendees were encouraged to engage with the panel sessions and explore the exhibition, with the hope of gaining inspiration for the promotion of sustainable mobility practices within their respective communities. The conference made recordings and materials available for those unable to attend in real-time, providing a valuable resource for all interested parties to access and review. Photos from the event were also made accessible for further reference.
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Fundación Ibercaja opens the emblematic Zaha Hadid Bridge in Zaragoza, converted into a Mobility City, an international benchmark for sustainable mobility for the future
The avant-garde space will house the Mobility Museum, the first technological mobility museum that will offer visitors experiences, discoveries, interactive activities, exhibitions and the most striking proposals.
Fundación Ibercaja has announced this morning the inauguration of this timely project and the opening of the Zaha Hadid bridge, the work of the renowned Iraqi architect and the only bridge she designed in Europe. The initiative, promoted by the Foundation together with the support of the Government de Aragón, aims to become the main technological and informative platform around sustainable mobility, as well as its development and innovation at an international level. Starting in March, you can enjoy this space and discover the importance of mobility for the future of humanity.
Mobility City responds to Fundación Ibercaja’s commitment to return the Zaha Hadid Bridge, built for the 2008 International Exposition, to the public. “We have transformed an architectural icon into a unique element in the world, combining the aesthetic with the intellectual. Mobility City is going to be a place to look to, a prescriptive environment that will be listened to internationally and that will contribute to elevating Zaragoza and Aragón to the forefront of the mobility sector”, indicates Amado Franco, President of Fundación Ibercaja.
A space that is returned to the citizens
For the last 5 years, the entity has carried out meticulous work both to recondition the space, always hand in hand with Zaha Hadid’s architecture studio, and in collaboration with the Government of Aragon, with the goal of creating content and a unique, distinguished place open to the general public and society.
With a covered area of 2,700 m2, Mobility City has 4 different spaces:
The future of mobility: publicly accessible, it will show the progress and potential in terms of products and services of associated companies. An exhibition of innovative proposals will star in the next steps of mobility.
Temporary exhibition: with a surface area of 1,100m2, it is an area to represent the mobility of yesterday, today and tomorrow. The first exhibition shows the evolution of the automotive world, from the unique pieces its early days, to futuristic concept cars, without forgetting the offer of the current market.
Space Experiences: an entertainment area that will directly impact visitors’ emotion and awareness, it will house interactive activities aimed at transmitting messages of responsibility and respect for the environment through dynamics that measure the power of their decisions in the future of cities and the environment that surrounds them.
Multifunction space: a public access area aimed at carrying out activities and events of all kinds, both at a professional and popular level, from family workshops, idustry presentations, to awards or presentations by associates.
“We want to make Mobility City a multidisciplinary space. A place of conversation, dissemination, challenges and tests. An entity that empowers the awakening of a real mobility transition, expressing interest and solutions that invite society to embrace change. For this reason, we are working to create a complete content offer that generates interest at all levels in order to permeate the roadmap and the commitment to build an evolved and environmentally responsible mobile environment”, indicates José Luis Rodrigo, Director General Fundación Ibercaja.
Mobility City, a project to lead the mobility of the future
The Mobility City initiative has the support and drive of more than 50 collaborating entities both related to mobility (automotive, telecommunications, energy, logistics, etc.), as well as local and state institutions (research institutes, associations and universities).
“Mobility City will be the agent that drives the conversation about the mobility of the future. A space from where strategies and plans will be pushed for the sake of sustainable urban development, a space for coexistence and dialogue to show what the cities of the future will be like, and the movement of people through them” indicates Jaime Armengol, Coordinator of Mobility City. The venue is “aimed at both the general public, with an experiential content that will raise awareness of the impact of personal decisions on the future of our environment, and the professional public, promoting a meeting place for experts in the sector. In short, Mobility City is a space to inspire, identify, solve, design and build the needs of mobility that is respectful of the environment in a connected and safe way”, continues Armengol.
Zaragoza and Aragón: the epicenter of new mobility
The city of Zaragoza presents many reasons why it is destined to be the international mobility capital of the future, and which make it the perfect setting for a project like Mobility City:
Strategic geographical position: crossing point for the itineraries that cross the peninsula from north to south. In addition, its proximity to the border with France favors connections with the rest of Europe.
Industrial activity: companies in the automotive sector, smart cities or logistics, bet on the Aragonese territory as a base of operations.
Center of tourist interest: the infrastructure of the 2008 Zaragoza International Exposition adds to the traditional axes of interest in Zaragoza. The quality of its current tourist offer provides an incomparable framework for the development of the Mobility City project.
“Aragon has a privileged location, highlighting its strong commitment to logistics and the establishment of companies related to automobiles, rail and other means of transport. In Zaragoza, in addition, there is a wide presence of projects on smart cities and a growing involvement in the future of personal mobility. It is, therefore, the place where a large number of interactions between cities and companies come together at a national and international level that foster the perfect germ of the international success of Mobility City”, concludes José Luis Rodrigo, Director General of Fundación Ibercaja.
Ibercaja Foundation
Fundación Ibercaja is a private non-profit organization resulting from the transformation of the Caja de Ahorros y Monte de Piedad de Zaragoza, Aragón y Rioja (currently Ibercaja Banco), dedicated to the creation, implementation and promotion of social and cultural works to promote the development of people and companies generating actions to improve the territory. It is also committed to the sustainable mobility of the future, with Mobility City. Its values and actions are aligned with the United Nations 2030 Agenda, disseminating the SDGs and developing actions for their implementation. At Fundación Ibercaja, innovation is promoted in programs and activities, responding to new needs within its field of action with four values as fundamental pillars: commitment, transparency, professionalism and dynamism.
About Mobility City
Mobility City is an initiative of Fundación Ibercaja supported by the Government of Aragon with headquarters in the Zaha Hadid Bridge. The work that the renowned Iraqi architect in the city of Zaragoza houses the Mobility Museum, the first museum on international mobility. Its objective is to become the world epicenter in terms of avant-garde, technology demonstration and learning, for the promotion of sustainable mobility, its development and innovation.
The Mobility City initiative began in June 2018, supported by partners from different sectors related to mobility, including automobile, telecommunications, energy and infrastructure companies, as well as regional and state institutions, research institutes, associations and universities.
The micromobility fleet provider joins Tier and Lime in deploying a sizeable joint fleet of 6,000 vehicles throughout the city.
Announced in late 2022, Madrid City Council launched its first tender for shared e-scooters in the city. It is now confirmed that the bid has been won by the providers Dott, Tier and Lime collectively. Initial contracts are for an operating time of 3 years, with the potential for extensions in increments of 6 months following the initial period.
Dott already maintains a fleet of e-bikes in Madrid, which have been operating since March 2021, and provides micromobility services to many key European cities including London, Rome, Stockholm, Brussels and Paris. In Madrid, the brand will be introducing completely new e-scooters, featuring large (12”) wheels for stability, front, rear and indicator lights, and a phone holder.
Maxim Romain, co-founder and COO of Dott, said: “The launch in Madrid marks a turning point for our service in Spain, and a major increase in the number of vehicles we operate there as we bring efficient, safe and environmentally friendly transport to the capital city. We will bring our experience of collaborating closely with city authorities across Europe to ensure that we offer a reliable service for our riders whilst respecting all other road users and pedestrians.”
AMBici offers new sustainable mobility options to city residents and will integrate with the existing Bicing scheme.
Last week, Barcelona’s public transit operator presented the infrastructure of the upcoming AMBici bike-sharing service, which will cover the entire territory of the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB). The scheme will launch early in 2023 in the municipalities of Sant Feliu de Llobregat, Sant Joan Despí and Cornellà de Llobregat, expanding further over the subsequent 3 months. Once fully operational, AMBici will provide 2,600 electric bicycles and 236 stations to residents of the metropolis.
Regarding the integration of AMBici with Barcelona Municipality’s existing Bicing service, transfer stations for the two services will be created in areas bordering Barcelona with the municipal terms of Sant Adrià de Besòs, Santa Coloma de Gramenet, l’Hospitalet de Llobregat and Esplugues de Llobregat, and a metropolitan pass, with discounts for users of both services.
The AMBici service will offer 100% electric bicycles of the latest generation – the e-SMARTbike 2.0 model, that provides agile and safe commuting. The bicycle boasts features such as a low centre of gravity, ‘starter boost’ function, and automatic assistance levels.
In 2023, AMBici will apply a promotional rate of €25 per year per pass, which will allow 30 minutes of free use for each journey. After the free 30 minutes, it will cost 0.50 euros per half hour.
From 2024, the subscription will cost 40 euros a year, with the first 30 minutes at a price of 15 cents. After the initial 30 minutes, it will cost 0.50 euros per half hour.
Authorities are eager to continue the city’s development into a truly cycling-friendly location.
In 2014, the BiciMAD scheme launched in Madrid, a 100% electric bicycle public service. Now, close to 10 years after its launch, the service will expand into all of the capital’s districts during 2023. This updated service is in line with the ambitious Madrid 360 Environmental Strategy.
18 million euros is provided to the project by the municipality, with a further 30 million euros provided by the European Union’s Next Generation fund; these resources will be used for the renewal of the e-bike fleet, parking stations, and digital software. The parking points where bikes can be picked up and dropped off will more than double – from 264 to 611, and 4,600 two-wheelers will be added for a total of 7,500 available to residents and guests of the city.
A particularly noteworthy software update is the development of non-permanent virtual parking stations, which will be used to cover specific large events or quickly service high-demand areas. In a lively city such as Madrid, this allows the service to properly cater to an area’s evolving needs.
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