DAS WELTAUTO delivers a ŠKODA KODIAQ to SOS CHILDREN’S VILLAGES in Catalonia

Das WeltAuto, the second-hand vehicle brand of the Volkswagen Group, delivered a ŠKODA KODIAQ to SOS Children’s Villages in Catalonia to help the children of Aldea de Sant Feliu de Codines in Barcelona get around.

The loan of this vehicle, which was handed over at Sarsa Terrasa, forms part of the “A Chance to Help” project that will support the mobility of over
300 boys and girls.

The vehicle was handed over during an event held on the Sarsa premises in Terrasa (Barcelona). The event was attended by: Carlos Calatayud, Sales Director of ŠKODA Spain; Enric Fauste, Managing Director of the Sarsa Group; Jordi Doménech, Manager of ŠKODA and SEAT for the Sarsa Group; José Luis Escobar, Regional Director of SOS Children’s Villages in Catalonia; and Carmen Nicolás, Director of Aldea de Sant Feliu de Codines.

The loan of this car forms part of the “A Chance to Help” project consisting of seven second-hand vehicles in total from Das WeltAuto to provide mobility services under the protection programmes run by this NGO in various autonomous regions of Spain. This initiative is a response to the commitment from the Volkswagen Group to helping children at risk of exclusion. Das WeltAuto is giving seven vehicles to SOS Children’s Villages to meet the mobility needs of around 300 boys and girls growing up without the care of their parents at six of the villages managed by this organisation throughout the country. The vehicles will be on loan for one year, at the end of which they can be swapped for others of a similar nature.

This ŠKODA KODIAQ and all the vehicles included in the initiative have passed an exhaustive testing process by Das WeltAuto and come with the Volkswagen Group guarantee. The vehicle models were chosen according to the needs expressed by SOS Children’s Villages.

Through this initiative, Das WeltAuto seeks to help integrate vulnerable children by providing vehicles that will help them attend training activities, visit the doctor or enjoy recreational activities that require travel.

Autocars Calella, official mobility partner of the Catalan Hockey Federation

Autocars Calella has signed a partnership agreement with the Catalan Hockey Federation under which the mobility company has become the official partner of this sports federation, offering its coach service to all the hockey clubs in Catalonia throughout the season.

At the signing ceremony, which took place recently in Sant Cugat del Vallés with the Chairman of the Catalan Hockey Federation, Xavier Adell Salvatella, and the Managing Director of Moventis, Miquel Martí Pierre, the two executives highlighted their commitment and drive to encouraging the practice of sport in these exceptional times.

The agreement reaffirms the position achieved by the Moventis Group as a benchmark in group mobility given its proven reliability in meeting all safety, hygiene and control protocols. This federation now joins all the other sports entities that also trust in the services provided by mobility companies of this group, which include Girona FC, CE Sabadell FC, the Catalan Swimming Federation, Junior FC and the handball teams of OAR Gracia, Balonmano Santo Quirze, Balonmano Bordils and San Martín Adrianenc, among many others.

According to Xavier Adell Salvatella, Chairman of the Catalan Hockey Federation, “we are very happy to partner with Autocares Calella and offer its transport services to our member clubs, safe in the knowledge that their athletes will travel in complete safety”. To this, the Manager of Autocares Calella, Miquel Martí Pierre, added that “we would like to express our gratitude for the trust placed in us by such an important sports entity as the Catalan Hockey Federation. The commitment by the companies in the Moventis Group to meeting safety, hygiene and control protocols is an absolute priority, and the agreements we have so far reached with sports entities and organisations in other sectors drive us to continue working every day to maintain our position as the benchmark mobility company in the public transport sector”.

Moventia attends Conference on Best Practices for Equality Plans

Agustí López Fitó, HR Manager at Moventia, spoke at the Conference on Best Practices for Equality Plans held on 25 March, the goal of which was to reveal what companies and social entities in Sabadell are doing to support gender equality and respect for sexual diversity. Best practices were also shared by Pilar Medel, the Equality and Technical Human Resources Coordination Officer for Parc Taulí; Estela Sánchez, General Manager of DICOMOL, SL; and Júlia Alsinet, the Partner for l’Eixida of Telar Cooperatiu. 

Agustí López Fitó spoke about the Moventis project carried out in partnership with the Catalan Employment Service (SOC) to train new bus drivers. Participants in the project are given the chance to obtain both the D and CAP licences, with a period of work experience at companies in the Moventis group. 50% of trainees were subsequently given a contract at the company. 

This project seeks to raise the number of available driving professionals by training the unemployed or others wishing to improve their current employment status. Priority is given to young people, women and other groups at risk of social exclusion. 

 

 

Miquel Martí at the ACG urban mobility conference

The Chairman of Moventia, Miquel Martí, spoke at a breakfast organised by the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) at the Círculo Ecuestre private club in Barcelona on 7 April. The theme for the event was “City Mobility”.

 

Besides Miquel Martí, the other speakers included Mar Alarcón, Founder and CEO of Social Car, and Timo Buetefisch, Co-founder and CEO of Cooltra.  Moderated by Teresa Lloret, Senior Partner at Kreab, the session took place over two blocks around the topic of urban mobility: regulation of the sector and growth projects for companies in the mobility sector.

 

Miquel Martí stressed that a commitment should be made to sustainable mobility but with alternatives to the private vehicle. He underlined the essential nature of investing in public transport and infrastructures within metropolitan areas such as Barcelona. He went on to say that the idea of implementing a toll system at the entrance to the city of Barcelona would reduce the number of private vehicles on the roads and the funds raised could be spent on promoting public transport and mobility platforms.

 

In turn, Mar Alarcón stressed that the crusade against private vehicles in Barcelona is incomprehensible under the current mobility system. The public authorities are moving in one direction while the needs of the sector are moving in another, highlighting the absence of any constructive dialogue.

 

Timo Buetefisch defended the need for regulation in the mobility sector that follows a future-focused mobility plan and model with a design based on public-private partnerships.

 

The event organiser, ACG, is the largest non-profit global community of business leaders and professionals in the corporate world whose interests are focused on sharing experiences and relationships for the development of companies. It was set up in the United States in 1954 and now has over 13,000 members organised into 55 chapters worldwide. It began operating in Spain in 2010.

 

 

Timo Buetefisch va argumentar la necessària regulació del sector de la mobilitat però que per fer-ho són necessaris un model i un pla de mobilitat a futur, dissenyat a partir de la col·laboració publico-privada.

 

L’organitzador de la jornada, ACG, és la comunitat global d’empresaris i professionals més gran del món corporatiu, sense ànim de lucre, els seus interessos se centren en compartir experiències i relacions en el desenvolupament de les empreses. La seva fundació va ser a Estats Units, el 1954, i compta amb més de 13.000 membres organitzats en 55 chapters arreu del món. A Espanya va iniciar activitats el 2010.

Moventis SARFA receives recognition for its social responsibility actions during the pandemic

Begur Town Council and El Baix Empordà Regional Council have officially recognised Moventis SARFA for its social responsibility initiatives during the pandemic. The actions most deserving of this high praise are: its promotion of quality employment in the region, its collaboration with local employment services, its launch of initiatives aimed at employment inclusion for people with functional diversity and its donation to Palamós Hospital.

Enric Gimeno, General Manager of Moventis SARFA, collected the award in recognition of the various social responsibility actions undertaken by the company during the pandemic.

The Mayor of Begur, Maite Selva, presented the award to Moventis SARFA and highlighted the importance of such companies that are based on hard work, innovation and commitment in tough times for society like the COVID-19 pandemic. “Commitment shown by companies like Moventis SARFA, which continue to bring added value to all during such tough and uncertain times and have contributed more than ever to consolidating a social, collaborative, sustainable and responsible economy in our region.”

The Palafrugell Municipal Theatre was chosen as the venue to host the award ceremony organised by the El Baix Empordà Regional Council and the El Baix Empordà Regional Network of Economic Promotion Officers, with support from several local council authorities throughout the region, including Begur Town Council. The event sought to highlight those companies in the region that have shown themselves to be socially responsible during the COVID-19 pandemic through initiatives leading to a positive impact for the general public. 

The awards, which were presented to 17 businesses in the region, were proposed by a technical committee made up by the regional council and various local council authorities in El Baix Empordà.
 

The role of Moventis SARFA during the pandemic

Moventis SARFA is an iconic company in El Empordà, a leader in the transport sector and boasts a history spanning almost 100 years. The organisation has been recognised for its regular collaboration with local employment services through participation in training and accompaniment programmes for the re-employment of the unemployed, the inclusion of people with functional diversity in its workforce and the economic contribution made to Palamós Hospital.
 

Social responsibility as a cross-cutting issue

Social responsibility at Moventis is something that forms a major part of its day-to-day business. According to Enric Gimeno, “we are fully aware of our opportunity to build a more equal society and generate well-being for people. It can therefore be said that the concept of solidarity is another of the underlying pillars that support Moventis, an inherent characteristic of our nature”.

According to its CSR Policy, Moventia is committed to returning to society that which society gives to Moventia, understanding solidarity as a voluntary expression by the company in its contribution towards building a better society, its commitment to continually strive to improve and go beyond simply complying with legal obligations and to continue investing in human resources, the environment and stakeholder relations.

Based on this approach to solidarity, Moventis is highly dedicated to commitment and social responsibility in its environment, working with its partners to build a better society.

Moventia in the special sectoral column of Carril Bus

The Carril Bus magazine recently published a special sectoral article on the main transport operators in Spain. The article includes opinions from benchmark executives at each of the companies about the crisis stemming from the global pandemic and their outlooks for the coming months and years in the public mobility sector. The article also includes insights and perspectives from Josep María Martí, CEO of Moventia, on future trends and his conclusions from the last 12 months.

The article can be read in full here

 

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.

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.