The demand for Bicing's electric bikes is so great that some have recorded peaks of up to 20 daily uses. This results in more wear and tear, more breakdowns and growing dissatisfaction to find a bike that is not in the condition expected by the user who has paid their 35 cents per use in addition to the annual subscription of 50 euros. It is the negative side of the success represented by having reached 18 million annual uses and 147,000 subscribers, 36% more than when the new system was introduced in 2019.
The City Council is now trying to reverse the criticism and improve the service it offers with the addition of 1,000 new electric bikes, half a thousand during the second quarter of 2024 and another half thousand before the end of the year. The fleet as a whole will then reach 8,000 units, of which 5,000 will be electric and 3,000 mechanical, of the lifetime ones.
This consolidates the turning point reached this year, when electricals outnumbered mechanicals after the electrification of a thousand. Just three years ago, electricity did not even represent a third of the total. Its use has skyrocketed in recent months and 70% of trips are already made there.
The new users that have been joining in recent times especially use those that have pedaling assistance. The expansion of the station map in 2019 has influenced it, when it spread over almost the entire city and reached neighborhoods with steeper streets. The good reception it has had in these places has led the City Council to deepen the extension throughout the city and expand the network with 74 new stations to reach 593 in total.
Half of the new stops will be in Eixample and Sant Martí, the two districts with the most uses. The rest will strengthen the existing service in Trinitat Nova, La Clota and Carmel and will reach the new neighborhood of Marina del Prat Vermell, and also the mountainous Can Caralleu, Montbau and Sant Genís dels Agudells, which until now had left on the sidelines Of course, it will be on Montjuïc mountain where the first eight new stations will be installed as part of the plan to facilitate the mobility of Barça fans.
The expansion of the service has led the public company Barcelona Serveis Municipals (BSM) to amend the contract for a value of 2.8 million euros with the temporary union of companies Pedalem Barcelona, in charge of managing the Bicing.
The announcement of the improvement of the service coincides with the call for an indefinite strike that is contemplated from Tuesday, November 14. The main reason for the planned stoppage is wages, despite the fact that there are also complaints about the lack of staff in the workshop and in the maintenance of the stations.
The intention of the Barcelona City Council to incorporate more bicycles without accompanying this measure with more resources may complicate the resolution of this conflict.
