Moventia Welcomes Ms Mercè Rius from the Generalitat de Catalunya

We were recently visited by Ms Mercè Rius, Director General of Transport and Mobility, along with Mr Josep Maria Fortuny, Deputy Director General of Transport Planning and Sector Development, both from the Generalitat de Catalunya government.

The visit was divided into two parts, the first of which took place at the Moventia corporate office in the city of Sant Cugat del Vallès, where they were able to observe first-hand how the Moventia corporate team has been organized ever since it moved to the new Moventia site in 2019. The visitors saw and evaluated the company’s flexible cross systems in addition to the state-of-the-art technology supporting them. They also had the opportunity to find out about the different areas related to the passenger transport division, Moventis. Those responsible for corporate tasks were able to explain their various projects and responsibilities to the Director General as well as how they are working to adapt to the crisis caused by the pandemic and focusing on enhancing rolling stock to offer more sustainable services. 

The second part was a visit to the new garage Moventis recently opened in Sabadell. This base, which is used by Sarbus and La Vallesana, has the capacity to house 170 buses, a car wash and a fuel supply area. The more than 23,700 m2 in Sant Pau de Riu-sec (Pausec) is home to three business divisions (Sarbus-La Vallesana, Vallès de Automoción and Stern Motor) in order to provide fast, quality integrated sales and after-sales services with commercial vehicles, vans and industrial transport.

Julia Gilavert Participates in the International Mobility Congress

With the slogan “Drive into Innovation”, the first edition of the International Mobility Congress was held on 21st and 22nd September. Over the two days, 70 speakers discussed global success stories and debated the future of mobility. Nearly 800 professionals attended the event with 30% of them connected via streaming.

Julia Gilavert, Director of Moventis Illes, participated along with Mario Canet, Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) and Antonio Cendrero, Arriva Spain, in the roundtable “Low-Emissions Buses. Enhanced Energy Efficiency and User Experience” during which the usage experience and advantages of the different energy models, including electric, hydrogen and gas, were debated. Julia underlined the virtues of #CompressedNaturalGas in comparison to other existing models. The three participants concluded that the future is uncertain and, in all likelihood, the three energy models will eventually live together.

Sant Cugat Empresarial Presents its Strategy to the Town Council

During an institutional visit, the Mayor of Sant Cugat del Vallès, Mireia Ingla, welcomed a representative group of the Sant Cugat Empresarial board of which Silvia Martí has been a member since last June. Also present at the event was the Deputy Mayor for Economic Promotion, Employment, Business and Commerce, Elena Vila.

During the meeting, the highest-ranking member of Sant Cugat Empresarial, Jaume Vives, Chairman and Managing Director of Roche Diagnòstics, told the Mayor of Sant Cugat about the association’s main strategic lines for the next three years. A decision was made to create a mixed commission to monitor various urban development, economic and business invigoration issues.

Moventia is a part of Sant Cugat Empresarial with the aim of working together with other companies in the area to generate more and better economic development for local businesses, support and mentor local entrepreneurs and start-ups, foster corporate social responsibility activities among associated companies and establish forward-looking ties between schools, universities and businesses.

 

picture: Sant Cugat Empresarial

Moventis Group’s Autocares Emilio Seco Invests 4 Million Euros in its All-New Hybrid Fleet

  • With this investment, the Moventis discretionary services company has renewed 65% of its fleet transforming 25 coaches to compressed natural gas with the ECO seal.
  • Autocares Emilio Seco is also starting this second half of the year having renewed its agreement with the Balearic Islands Regional Department of Education to provide school transport services. Likewise, it has signed new contracts as a school and handicapped mobility and transport operator on Majorca.
  • The company has unveiled its new more modern and dynamic corporate identity which was inspired by the concept of connectivity and reflects its 50 years of experience in the sector.

 

Barcelona, September 2021. Autocares Emilio Seco, the Moventis discretionary services company on Majorca, is starting off the second half of 2021 at full speed. The company has become an even stronger sector reference in sustainable mobility after investing 4 million euros into renovating and reconverting its fleet of coaches to make them sustainable.

This investment was used by Autocares Emilio Seco to add 25 compressed natural gas (CNG) hybrid models with the ECO seal. The operation boosted the transformation of its fleet, which is currently comprised of 65% CNG models with the ECO seal, as well as a company action under its commitment to reduce its impact on the environment. This is also a priority goal for the Moventis group which includes Autocares Emilio Seco.

In fact, nearly 50% of the Moventis fleet of buses, coaches, tramways and bikes has been converted into electric, hybrid and natural gas or diesel models that comply with the Euro VI regulation, which is the most recent and restrictive when it comes to reducing contaminating emissions.

Trust in a Company with 50 Years of Experience in the Sector

Autocares Emilio Seco is fully consolidated as a reference in mobility and transport on the Balearic Islands and more specifically on Majorca. Its 50 years of success have earned it the trust of local users and entities who enjoy its services daily.

Thus, the company was able to renew its contract to provide the transport services it had been providing to the Balearic Islands Regional Department of Education. Specifically, it operates 60 routes moving 3,000 boys and girls every day and has done so for 4 years. Added to this are two additional adapted transport services which position Autocares Emilio Seco as the main school and PRM transport operator on the island of Majorca.

The company also recently signed a contract with the Town Hall of Calviá (Majorca) to operate discretionary transport services in that town. These services are for certain groups of residents in the municipality of Calviá such as the elderly, school cultural excursions as well as specific services for people with reduced mobility.

Finally, Autocares Emilio Seco also began school services in September for the Town of Calviá sailing school centres.

Miquel Martí Pierre, Managing Director of Moventis Discretionary Services, said, “A commitment to innovation, excellent service and the environment is in the Moventis DNA. It’s a commitment that moves us to work every single day with all of the group’s companies in order to turn it into a reality. In the case of Autocares Emilio Seco, it’s a step forward as the collective transport leader on Majorca.”

He also said, “The renewed and new contracts for Majorca back our good work and push us to continue working in this strategic line of technology and sustainability.”  

A New Corporate Identity as the Symbol of Evolution and Service Excellence

After 50 years, Autocares Emilio Seco now has an all-new more modern and dynamic corporate image with a new logo inspired by the concept of connectivity in conjunction with the idea that mobility connects us. It is also a reflection of the company’s evolution and professionalism in the services it offers customers.

Thus, all Autocares Emilio Seco vehicles and professionals will now sport this new corporate identity which represents the beginning of a new era for the company with its commitment to excellent services and the environment.

In the words of Emilio Seco, Manager of Autocares Emilio Seco, “We’re quite pleased to start this final leg of 2021 with these great new developments considering it’s been a really complicated year for us and the entire sector in general. At Emilio Seco, we have always been close to our customers with a desire to meet their mobility needs by developing innovative environmentally-friendly transport solutions.” He added, “We’re proud to see just how far we’ve got in the last half century and will continue working day after day to ensure our customers can enjoy the best in mobility.”

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.”

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”.

 

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.