Skip to main content

Barcelona council introduces tax for bike and moped sharing services

Barcelona City Council has approved a tax which will require bike and moped shared services to pay €75 per vehicle per year to operate. The tax is designed to regulate companies to limit their presence and minimise impact on public space. Licences are obligatory and non-transferable for vehicles, valid for three years, with the option of an additional year. They will be regulated through a ‘decree’ which is expected to be finished by the end of March. A second decree will regulate parking facilities to
March 1, 2019 Read time: 2 mins
4969 Barcelona City Council has approved a tax which will require bike and moped shared services to pay €75 per vehicle per year to operate.


The tax is designed to regulate companies to limit their presence and minimise impact on public space.

Licences are obligatory and non-transferable for vehicles, valid for three years, with the option of an additional year. They will be regulated through a ‘decree’ which is expected to be finished by the end of March.

A second decree will regulate parking facilities to ensure private bike users have enough places in the city. These will be marked in purple.

According to the council, these regulations will allow the issue of 2,650 licences for bikes and 4,639 licences for mopeds, which could potentially double the city’s existing fleet.

Requisites for obtaining licences include:

• Vehicles must be used once they are issued with licences
• Push bikes, electric bikes and electric mopeds must all meet municipal sustainability criteria
• All vehicles must include geo-localisation systems
• Faulty or damaged vehicles must be removed within 24 hours
• Municipal access to data on the use of the system in real time
• All mopeds must be parked according to municipal regulations set out in the by-law on the circulation of pedestrians and vehicles

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Looking both ways for speeding vehicles
    June 9, 2015
    Single-camera bi-directional speed enforcement can reduce the cost of enforcing speeding on two-way roads without repositioning the camera. Truvelo has received UK type-approval for a simultaneous bi-directional (SBD) enforcement camera, the D-Cam P digital, which can capture speeding motorist both those travelling towards and away from the camera. It is also in the process of carrying out the first installations of the D-Cam P in the UK.
  • Russia looks to ITS to curb congestion and reduce accidents
    May 7, 2015
    Major ITS installations are planned as the Russian capital Moscow grapples with extensive traffic problems. At the end of 2014, Russia’s first complex intelligent transport system (ITS) started easing traffic problems in and around the capital Moscow, following the implementation of the plans by the federal government and the city’s authorities.
  • LVCVA approves Elon Musk's underground people mover
    June 3, 2019
    The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) has approved a contract with Elon Musk’s The Boring Company (TBC) to construct an underground people mover. LVCVA says the $48.675,000 contract will allow TBC to build a people mover that could safely carry passengers in autonomous electric vehicles via a loop of underground express-route tunnels. The underground loop system is expected to offer reduced total costs and less disruption to pedestrian and vehicle traffic. Once complete, the loop is
  • Siemens to provide intelligent technology for Stockholm bypass
    December 3, 2018
    Siemens Mobility is to deliver intelligent tunnel solutions for a section of the European route number four (E4), the Stockholm Bypass, as part of a €75 million contract. The 21km bypass will connect the southern and northern parts of the surrounding Stockholm communities. It includes 18km of tunnelling and is expected to alleviate congestion for residents and visitors. Michael Peter, CEO of Siemens Mobility, says the southern tunnel will minimise environmental impact. Construction is scheduled to be