Barcelona introduces 10,000 shared electric motorbikes across Metropolitan Area

The Barcelona metropolitan area is set to have nearly 10,000 shared electric motorbikes available by the end of the year.

The Metropolitan Area of Barcelona (AMB) launched the new service on Tuesday, which will operate in the city of Barcelona and seven surrounding cities.

Aside from the capital, the bikes will also be available in Esplugues de Llobregat, Sant Just Desvern, Sant Feliu de Llobregat, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Badalona, Santa Coloma de Gramenet, and Sant Adrià de Besòs.

Approximately 7,000 e-bikes will be available within Barcelona itself, with the remaining 3,000 distributed across the other cities.

This 'motosharing' model is similar to Bicing for bicycles but differs in one key aspect: it will not be unified under a single service provider.

Instead, five companies will operate the service, each responsible for around 2,000 motorbikes.

The companies are: Hori Rides, Yego Urban, Cooltra Motosharing, Go Sharing and Acciona Mobility.

Each company will have its own app and pricing structure. The licenses are valid for two years, and the service will roll out gradually from Wednesday until the end of the year.

The initiative aims to promote sustainable mobility, reduce car use and emissions, and improve public health.

"We continue to promote sustainable, electric, safe and shared mobility, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the number of vehicles on the road," says AMB Mobility vicepresident Carles Cordón.