Collective mobility was the main focus for a large part of day two at the BCN Desperta! forum, which took place at Casa Seat and was organised by Crónica Global, El Español and Metrópoli Abierta. During a debate moderated by the journalist and Deputy Editor for Social Affairs at Crónica Global, Miriam de Saint-Germain, the Chairman of Moventia, Josep Maria Martí, and the Chairman of RACC, Josep Mateu, discussed the present and future challenges for mobility in Catalonia at a time when intercity buses have consolidated their position as the best response to a railway system deficit.
Josep Maria Martí was very clear in this regard, saying “Our trains are at full capacity. We cannot squeeze any more out of the railway system. We need 1,200 buses to meet future demand”. These statements reflect the growing importance of intercity buses for connecting Barcelona to its metropolitan area and surrounding districts.
Josep Mateu reinforced that idea by lamenting the “chaos that is present in the RENFE railway system: more and more people are switching to buses. They offer the reliability and comfort that trains simply aren’t offering”.
A global and economic challenge
The Chairman of Moventia offered a backdrop for this debate by expressing a broader outlook, saying that “mobility is a global challenge and a driving force for the economy”. Josep Maria Martí stressed that territorial dispersion and migratory flows towards the first and second metropolitan rings of Barcelona mean that many people need to travel into the city on a daily basis for work reasons.
In turn, Josep Mateu expanded on the problem with some figures: many people who live in Barcelona’s neighbouring municipalities spend “between two and three hours a day” simply getting to and from work. “That is people’s personal time. Either we fix this or it will become a serious problem. Mobility is a right, not an obligation”, he said.
Infrastructure shortage and congestion
The Chairman of RACC warned that the situation is now critical, saying “we are at a time of maximum economic activity and maximum employment, tourism and mobility. The infrastructure deficit and the large number of construction projects currently under way have led to a loss of fluidity and significant congestion”.
Josep Maria Martí added that the journeys people make simply must meet the real needs of passengers: “People want to get from point A to point B without needing to change. 70% of people do that today, with only 30% of people connecting with other forms of transport. We need good interchanges to meet the needs of the latter”. Josep Mateu agreed by saying that passengers seek “reliability, comfort, coherent commercial speed and capacity for everyone”.
Running more often and better information
The two speakers underlined the need for buses to run more often along the busiest routes and for improved dynamic information capable of reducing tension and stress at bus stops and interchanges. “For people to switch over to collective transport, we need to have more buses in the short term”, warned Josep Mateu, who also called for “a metropolitan vision of mobility”.
Dissuasive car parks
Dissuasive car parks was another important topic mentioned during the discussion. Josep Mateu described the creation of these car parks as “urgent” and called on Barcelona City Council for clear leadership. The Chairman of RACC recalled that the idea has been proposed by both the current mayor, Jaume Collboni, and the previous, Ada Colau.
Decarbonisation and public subsidies
The transition towards sustainable mobility played a major role in the debate. The Chairman of Moventia argued that public transport is already a sustainable option “unto itself”, even including the vehicles that meet Euro VI regulations, but underlined the need for more progress, saying “we should not stop here. We have to insist on renewing our fleets with more sustainable vehicles”.
The Chairman of Moventia asked for public subsidies to be reinstated in order to help companies invest in new buses. “An electric bus costs almost twice as much as an internal combustion bus. This creates a financial imbalance at the company. We need 200,000 euros of financial support per electric bus”, he said, warning that a lack of such support will make progress impossible at the pace required by a “Catalonia with 30 million journeys being made every day”.
Besides electrification, Josep Maria Martí highlighted other clean energy options for intercity transport, saying that “electricity lets us make short journeys but batteries cannot cope with longer ones. We have to look at each line or route and decide which sort of vehicle affords us the most decarbonisation possibilities”. In this regard, he highlighted biomethane as an alternative, saying “it provides a solution for longer distances, with a complete cycle that is CO2-neutral”.
Conclusion: a future that will come by bus
The conversation between Josep Maria Martí and Josep Mateu offered a clear diagnosis: intercity buses are the most reliable and sustainable option today for tackling mobility issues in Catalonia. But this path requires investment, planning and political will.
In his closing comments, Josep Maria Martí summed up the situation by saying “if we want to respond to population growth and ensure economic competitiveness, we need 1,200 more buses for Catalonia”.