Motorcycles can also use the app to pay to use Barcelona Serveis Municipals (BSM) car parks on a per-minute basis
This feature, a first in the city, enables motorcycles to use the car parks faster and more conveniently and helps free up public spaces at street level
Barcelona’s personal mobility services app, SMOU, continues to advance to help provide well-planned, combined, sustainable and connected mobility. To enable motorcyclists to use the city's car parks faster and more conveniently, SMOU has added a new feature that allows them to enter and leave Aparcaments BSM car parks using number plate reading technology.
In addition, SMOU also allows motorcyclists to pay for their stay in Barcelona Municipal Services (BSM) car parks by the minute through the "Parking via app" digital ticket service available on the same app. These two new developments will encourage motorcyclists to use these car parks, as they can enter without stopping to take a ticket on the way in or pay at the machine on their way out. Aparcaments BSM car parks currently provide a total of 1,592 spaces for motorcycles.
SMOU and the Aparcaments BSM network thus provide a safe and convenient option for anyone who travels around the city on a motorcycle. In addition, they help regulate above-ground parking and free up public spaces.
According to Laia Bonet, First Deputy Mayor and president of BSM, "This is yet another example of how car parks can be our allies when it comes to addressing the city's mobility challenges, including in the case of motorcycle parking. It is also a good example of Barcelona's commitment to innovative and digital solutions that improve residents' daily lives."
Smart cameras to read motorcycles' rear number plates
This improved access for motorcycles, which is a first in the city, is already in operation in 18 Aparcaments BSM car parks, and work to extend it to the entire network is already in progress. To use it, you must be registered with SMOU and have registered your motorcycle number plate in the "My vehicles" section.
For now, motorcycle number plate reading technology is in place at the following car parks: BSM Bilbao-Llull, BSM Cardenal Sentmenat, BSM Concepció Arenal, BSM Estació Barcelona Nord, BSM Gràcia Motos, BSM Illa Borbó, BSM La Boqueria, BSM Mercat del Guinardó, BSM Mercat Sagrada Família, BSM Mercat de Sant Antoni, BSM Mitre-Putxet, BSM Passeig Maragall, BSM Pl. Francesc Layret, BSM Plaça Navas, BSM SAT, BSM Plaça Joanic, BSM P.R. Biomèdica and BSM Travessera de Dalt.
All these car parks have smart cameras at their entrances and exits that can read both car and motorcycle number plates with great speed and accuracy.
SMOU, the leading personal-mobility services app in Barcelona and the metropolitan area
SMOU is used by over 1,150,000 people in Barcelona and its metropolitan area and includes around twenty mobility services. It includes solutions such as Bicing, the Endolla Barcelona network of EV charging points, payment for regulated parking both above ground and in BSM car parks on a per-minute basis and the management of AREA parking spaces for residents.
It also allows users to check information on services such as shared bicycles, cars and motorbikes, plus real-time data on public transport, including a route planner to find the most efficient way to get from one point to another in the city and various other travel options. The latest service to be added to the app is the taxi service, under which users can request and pay for taxi travel around Barcelona and its metropolitan area. SMOU also provides information on the services and location of over 300 car parks.
Last year, almost 20 million transactions were carried out using SMOU. The app is constantly being upgraded, and five years after its launch, the number of services and users is still growing.
