The service has just added another 500 electric bikes in response to the growth in demand, with the overall fleet to be increased to 8,000 bikes over the course of the coming year
Bicing journeys have increased by 40% in the last five years, surpassing 17.7 million, with the number of registered users up by 57%
Six new Bicing stations have also come into service in the Parc de Montjuïc this year, with work under way to install a further 68 around the city from 2025 onwards
The budget for the expansion of Bicing’s electric fleet and the new stations is 2.8 million euros
Bicing’s expanded electric fleet is now here. The city’s bike-sharing service added 500 new electric bikes at the end of the summer and is set to increase its overall fleet to 8,000 bikes, 5,000 of them electric, over the next year.
The move comes in response to the growing demand for the Bicing service in recent years and will improve the experience of users, who increasingly opt for electric models thanks to the comfort they offer. Eight out of ten journeys are currently made with electric bikes, a change in trends that has been boosted by the success of Bicing’s hybrid network and the expansion of the service to the city’s mountain neighbourhoods.
Bicing journeys have increased by 40% in five years, surpassing 17.7 million
Bicing is one of the world’s leading bike-sharing services. In Europe, Barcelona is the city with the highest density of stations per square kilometre and the highest bicycle turnover rate. Users gave the service a rating of 7 out of 10 on Barcelona City Council’s latest Municipal Services Survey.
Since the new Bicing service was launched at the start of 2019, the number of registered users has grown by 57%, rising from 102,000 to 160,000 by the end of this past September.
In this same period, annual use of the service increased by 40%, surpassing 17.7 million journeys in 2023. This 2024 is expected to close out with over 18 million journeys made.
Bicing recorded an average of 63,000 journeys a day from Mondays to Fridays in September, rising to 73,000 at some points. This was almost 7% higher than for the same period last year.
This unstoppable increase in both the number of users and the volume of usage demonstrates the success and consolidation of Bicing as one of the cornerstones for mobility in the city, offering a sustainable mobility option for many people in Barcelona.
This steady growth has been possible thanks to the ongoing efforts to offer a quality service that adapts to the needs of its users. This commitment has made it possible not only to increase the number of stations and available bikes, but also to introduce electric bikes, an innovative move that responds to the demand for quicker and more comfortable journeys, as well as helping to reduce the city’s carbon footprint.
New stations to improve connections and serve areas with the highest demand
While increasing its fleet, Bicing is also adding more stations, prioritising areas where demand is highest and service in neighbourhoods where better connections are sought.
Of the 74 new stations planned, 6 are already in service in the Parc de Montjuïc, coming in addition to the 519 that were available:
- Avinguda de l’Estadi, 12
- Avinguda de l’Estadi, 42
- Carrer dels Tarongers – Avinguda Miramar
- Carrer de Mandoni, 6
- Carrer de la França Xica, 4
- Carrer del Marbre, 2
The Parc de Montjuïc will soon be getting two new stations on Passeig Olímpic and Carrer dels Montfar. The installation of the other 66 stations will start next year.
The new stations will be located in the areas where demand is highest and will improve connectivity between neighbourhoods.
- Eixample: 16
- Sants – Montjuïc: 15
- Sarrià – Sant Gervasi: 12
- Horta – Guinardó: 11
- Sant Martí: 9
- Gràcia: 5
- Les Corts: 3
- Nou Barris: 2
- Sant Andreu: 1
The budget for the additional 1,000 bikes and the installation of 74 new stations is 2,800,000 euros.
Intensive maintenance service that adapts to users’ needs
The expansion of Bicing’s electric fleet and stations builds on the set of measures launched last year to improve the maintenance and availability of bicycles, particularly electric models, which are used 11 times a day on average.
At that point 1,000 push bikes were converted to electric models and various improvements, such as the optimisation of battery charging and the upgrading of brakes, were conducted. There were some modifications to SMOU as well, reducing the time the app takes to update information on bicycles and racks available at stations.
SMOU’s reading of QR codes was recently optimised to streamline the process of taking bikes, and a new feature was introduced that enables users to take bikes by entering the code from the lower part of squares.
Similarly, a warning has been added to the SMOU app to advise Bicing subscribers that at certain rush hours, bike and rack space availability may be limited. Unlike conventional public transport, Bicing has no set routes or operating times, meaning the service cannot guarantee 100% availability for bikes and racks at all times.
Bicing channels also provide other pieces of practical advice with the goal of guaranteeing a responsible, safe and efficient use of this service, which complements public transport. These recommendations include reserving bikes with SMOU whenever possible, checking the condition of the bike before starting a journey and reporting any incidents via the app.
