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.

100 Years of Sarfa

Since 9th September, we’ve been celebrating another historical milestone for Moventia: 100 years of Moventis SARFA, one of the Moventia companies with the longest history. Thanks to all of our human resources, who work tirelessly day after day, SARFA has reached its one hundredth anniversary very strong as one of the most iconic institutions in El Empordà and a real symbol for public transport throughout Girona and Catalonia.

Congratulations to SARFA for a successful history that inspires us to keep on working to offer people the best mobility experience.

On the occasion of this great milestone, we’ve begun a series of actions to share the celebrations with our travelling community. These promotional actions will continue for the coming months and on a corporate level as well.

 

 

Moventia receives Culture-committed Organisation Seal of Quality

Moventia has been awarded the Culture-committed Organisation Seal of Quality by the Catalonia Culture Foundation in recognition of its ties and efforts to promoting Catalan culture. This is the first prestigious seal of quality promoted by this foundation in partnership with the Chair of University Social Responsibility at the University of Girona. It was created to raise the profile of and recognise those companies that help to maintain and strengthen culture in Catalonia.

Moventia, a benchmark company in sustainable mobility and faithful to its commitment to society and people, is committed to actions that promote culture under its Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility Plan. Furthermore, it also sees culture as a key factor in rebuilding the local economic fabric and creating jobs.

In this regard, the company maintains ongoing activity in the culture sector through its partnership with the Palace of Catalan Music as a Protector Patron in order to help promote the artistic schedule organised by the Orfeó Català-Palace of Catalan Music Foundation. Moventia also maintains a partnership agreement with the El Vallés Symphony Orchestra and the Liceu Opera House.

According to Sílvia Martí, Vice-President of Corporate Affairs, Internal and Institutional Communication of Moventia: “culture is an economic catalyst and boosts our reputation as a country.  Unfortunately, it has been hit hard by the effects of the pandemic. Therefore, Moventia will continue to commit more than ever to strengthening a sector that, in short, brings knowledge of Catalan heritage and culture closer to our society”.

 

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

 

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.

Moventia, another year with the Palace of Catalan Music

Moventia is renewing its partnership with the Palace of Catalan Music for another year as a Protector Patron in order to help promote the artistic schedule organised by the Orfeó Català-Palace of Catalan Music Foundation.

A benchmark in sustainable mobility, the company stands firmly by its commitment to promoting culture as it believes this to be a key sector for rebuilding the local economic fabric and creating jobs. This action forms part of Moventia’s Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility Plan, which was created as a way for the company to voluntarily help build a better society.

According to Sílvia Martí, Vice-President of Corporate Affairs, Internal and Institutional Communication of Moventia: “Culture is a driving force for investment and enhances our reputation as a country but, unfortunately, it has been hit hard by the fallout from the pandemic. These are all reasons why Moventia remains committed for another year to this organisation, which uses its activities, concerts and choirs to promote musical practice and training, and, in short, to bring knowledge of Catalan heritage and culture closer to a wider audience, a reflection of our society”.

In the words of Mariona Carulla, Chairwoman of the Orfeó Català-Palace of Catalan Music Foundation: “We are very pleased to continue receiving the support of Moventia in our patronage programme. Contributions like those made by this company are essential to promoting our artistic activity and continuing our mission to bring music to all”.

Conclusion of the IV TRAM Barcelona Open, with Moventis

 

The IV TRAM Barcelona Open, held between 19 and 22 May at the Royal Polo Club in Barcelona, took place without incident thanks to the health and safety protocols implemented by the organisers and their partners. This globally benchmark international wheelchair tournament was supported by Moventis-Transports Ciutat Comtal (TCC) as the official transportation provider for the 40 participating athletes from 13 different countries.

In the words of José Coronado, Director of the TRAM Barcelona Open: “involving Moventis – TCC in the tournament as sponsors this year represented a huge leap forward in quality for us. We were able to offer an adapted transport service of the highest quality from a company with extensive experience in mobility for people with functional diversity that is merely enhanced by the spectacular image of the minibuses. The result was a complete success and the players made a point of saying so during the tournament.”

 

The tournament concluded this year’s event with victory in the men’s category for Gustavo Fernández from Argentina, who beat Vandorpe from Belgium 6/1 and 6/4 in an exciting final. In the women’s category, Diede de Groot from the Netherlands was crowned as the TRAM Barcelona Open champion. The number one in the world and hot favourite at the tournament beat Yui Kamiji from Japan (second in the world and second seed at the event in Barcelona) in the grand final 6/4 and 6/1.

The Spanish doubles team of Martín de la Puente from Galicia and Daniel Caverzaschi from Madrid took home the title in the men’s doubles category at the tournament. They are both members of the Spanish national team. De la Puente and Caverzaschi beat Gaetan Menguy from France and Jef Vandorpe from Belgium in the final 6/2 and 7/5. The title in the women’s doubles category went to Macarena Cabrillana from Chile and Diede de Groot from the Netherlands, who beat Angelica Bernal from Colombia and Charlotte Fairbank from France 6/2 and 6/2.

MOVENTIS TCC TRANSPORT OFICIAL BCN OPEN TRAM.mp4 from Videosmoventia on Vimeo.

 

Movento increases the offer from Motospazio with the Hamamatsu dealership

Movento is boosting the presence of Motospazio in central Barcelona, its dealership for motorcycle brands from the Piaggio group. The doors of Motospazio Hamamatsu opened to the public in December. These premises bring together the Piaggio, Vespa, Derbi, Gilera, Moto Guzzi and Aprilia dealerships into one place, as well as the corresponding official garage, which also operates under a multi-brand model. The space can be found at 337 Calle Mallorca, next to Paseo de San Juan.

By adding these premises to the dealership on Calle Calvet, Motospazio has doubled its presence in Barcelona with spaces in strategically central locations offering benchmark services to two-wheeled vehicle users. The Motospazio experience is now more than just a motorcycle sales business, including a showroom area and a repair garage to focus on in-depth services from specialised advisers.

According to Santi Colomer, Managing Director of Movento Diversification, “these new premises once again demonstrate the commitment from Movento to motorcycle distribution and repair that began six years ago with Motospazio and has been recently boosted with new leading brands”. Jorge Carrillo, Head of the Motorcycle Division, also expressed satisfaction with this growth within the Motospazio structure. By opening these premises, Movento is continuing to strengthen its presence in the world of two-wheeled transportation and consolidating its presence in the Catalan capital.

Presentation of the new gas station and depot for the TIB fleet in Calvià

The compressed natural gas refuelling station will also open to the public soon for the refuelling of private vehicles.

The Mobility and Housing Councillor, Marc Pons, was accompanied by the Mayor of Calvià, Alfonso Rodríguez, the Director-General for Mobility and Road Transport, Jaume Mateu, and the Managing Director of the Mallorca Transport Consortium, Maarten Johannes Van Bemmelen, on a visit to the new depot-gas refuelling station for the TIB bus fleet in Calvià this morning. The Chairman of Moventia, Miquel Martí, and other representatives from the company managing the new intercity public transport concession for the western region since the start of the year also took part in the visit.

The councillor stressed that “this is one of the six gas refuelling stations we have promoted via the new TIB network on the island of Mallorca, and the first to be opened to all members of the public and businesses in general”. Marc Pons wished to highlight the qualitative leap forward made by implementing the new TIB: “Five years of work are producing good results, a very competitive offer and improved public transport to position Mallorca at the cutting edge of a new intercity mobility model”, he said.

Located in the Son Bugadelles industrial estate, the depot includes a parking area for 42 buses, a bus wash area, an office and a rapid compressed natural gas refuelling station with two refuelling lanes fitted with NGV1 and NGV2 pumps. The gas refuelling station supplies compressed natural gas (CNG) to the TIB bus fleet owned by Moventis. It will soon open to the public for the CNG refuelling of both private cars and trucks, coaches and vans.

Miquel Martí, Chairman of Moventia, expressed gratitude for the support provided by the public authorities in the Balearic Islands and especially Calvià Local Council, which did everything it could to help open the premises and launch the service in record time. “This is the second gas refuelling station opened by Moventia: the first in France and now in Mallorca, which is the first within Spain. It is a clear commitment to public transport, sustainability and decarbonisation”, he said. He went on to add that, “despite the complicated times being caused by the health situation, the Moventis Illes team made it possible to launch this service from 1 January through tenacity and a huge effort, and we are very pleased with the demand we saw in January”.

The Mayor of Calvià, Alfonso Rodríguez Badal, underlined the improvement made to such an important municipal service as public transport, as well as to the compressed natural gas fuel system in terms of the environmental impact and noise. He also stressed that, due to their location in the heart of the municipality, these installations will enable greater efficiency in the service and will also be an advantage in the future for the refuelling of another public service – taxis.

Redexis was responsible for building both the gas refuelling station and the gas supply installations leading to the premises. The energy company built five distribution gas lines to supply gas to a total of six gas refuelling stations located at the headquarters of various concessionaires for the TIB service in Mallorca, making a fleet of 198 compressed natural gas buses possible and thereby promoting more sustainable and economic mobility. Miguel Mayrata, Head of Business Diversification for Redexis said that “Redexis welcomes the opening of this gas refuelling station, which represents the ongoing promotion of the necessary energy infrastructure for both the Moventis fleet and the professionals and citizens of Mallorca to have access to more economical, sustainable and environmentally friendly mobility solutions”.

Besides the depot presented earlier today, Moventis also has another two depots located in the Son Castelló industrial estate. The depots owned by the concessionaire in the western region are home to a total of 55 vehicles, including 12-metre buses, articulated buses, intercity buses, microbuses, etc. so all road and service types can be covered. 50 of these vehicles run on CNG and the remaining five are hybrid electric. It is an entirely new fleet, with which the group wishes to anticipate new mobility habits and therefore base its offer on innovative and sustainable technologies from an environmental and social standpoint.

Moventis takes part in an event to present on-demand transport service in Calonge

The Chamber of Commerce of Palamós and Calonge i Sant Antoni Local Council organised an information day entitled “On-demand transport: the Shotl service, your bus closer to you and only a click away” at Calonge Castle this morning. The goal was to raise the profile of this kind of flexible transport services in which the vehicles adapt their route in real time to meet demand. This is a service offered by Moventis that has already been successfully implemented in other municipalities around Catalonia, such as Sant Cugat.

The event discussed the need for this Shotl service in municipalities such as Calonge and Sant Antoni, as well as other towns on the Costa Brava with numerous geographically disperse urbanisations and areas with no conventional public transport services, in order to facilitate mobility for their residents.

The event was attended by Pol Fages, Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce of Palamós; Miquel Martí Pierre, Managing Director of Moventis; Roger Cumeras from Shotl; Pere Aguilar, Head of the Public Transport Department of Sant Cugat del Vallès Local Council, the first municipality where Shotl was launched; David Saldoni, the Director-General of Transport and Mobility of the Regional Government of Catalonia; and Albert Ros, Mobility Councillor for Calonge i Sant Antoni.

The main advantage of the Shotl service lies in that it enables public transport to reach areas with very little demand at present while also representing an economic saving and generating less pollution given that the bus only operates when there is a demand for the service. This avoids bus journeys with no passengers, reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. The advantages also include the ease with which users can request a pick-up by the bus – using an app or the telephone – and reduced waiting times.

The second part of the event consisted of a Shotl demonstration on the streets of Calonge and Sant Antoni: how a pick-up is requested, how the service is confirmed, how the driver is told about the shortest route and how the user can see on the app where the bus currently is and their current waiting time.