Barcelona fines Bicing operator 150,000 euros and plans an all-electric fleet

Penalty for the Bicing operator

The municipal company BSM has fined UTE Pedalem, the concessionaire that runs the Bicing bike-share service, 150,000 euros for failing to meet commitments on availability and maintenance speed, according to El País, which reported the sanction on Friday, 6 November. City sources confirmed to Europa Press that the council had activated the penalty mechanisms set out in the contract. The council links the problems to growing management complexity and to wear on the fleet. Its projections put 2026 at 20.5 million trips, which it describes as a record for the service, with each electric bike used up to 16 times a day. El País counts 173,000 subscribers and 8,000 bikes, and reports that the service suffered battery problems, brake faults, missing maintenance and empty stations during the summer of 2026.

Plan to go fully electric

The council's action plan, already under way, would make the entire fleet electric from next summer. Laia Bonet, the first deputy mayor for urban planning and mobility, explained the reasoning behind the conversion.

“If there are now 5,000 electric bikes and 3,000 mechanical ones, Bicing will reach 100% electric in summer.”

According to the plan, the 3,000 mechanical bikes are to be converted during the first half of 2027. About 400 new electric bikes are to be added before the end of the year, and the improvements carry a cost of 5.8 million euros. Up to 2,000 batteries will be replaced, brake parts will be bought in bulk, and the number of mechanics in the workshop and on the street has been increased, along with logistics staff who move bikes between stations. El País reports that users have complained about accidents linked to worn rear brakes, which are difficult to report because the rules make users responsible for checking their bike before riding.

Besòs-Maresme housing company

On Thursday, 5 November, the Barcelona plenary approved the agreement with the Generalitat to create Impulsem Futur Besòs-Maresme, SA. PSC, Junts, Barcelona en Comú and ERC voted in favour, while PP and Vox abstained. The company will carry out work on 4,000 homes, with 415 million euros of investment over ten years. The Generalitat will contribute 150 million euros and the council the remaining 265 million. As a first phase, the two administrations expect to mobilise about 95 million euros up to 2029. Bonet noted that only 192 flats had been rehabilitated over the past four years, and that at that pace more than four decades would be needed to finish the planned work. Junts councillor Damià Calvet criticised a lack of "mano izquierda" in dealings with residents, while the PP's Víctor Martí called the ten-year horizon excessive. Barcelona en Comú's Carolina Recio asked that the new company guarantee residents can stay in their homes.

Generalitat150

Barcelona City Council265

Generalitat

150 million euros

Barcelona City Council

265 million euros

Data from the article text

Disturbances and the reprobation vote

Disturbances and looting in central Barcelona on 24 October damaged shops, restaurants and street furniture. The PP asked for Mayor Jaume Collboni and Interior councillor Núria Parlon to be reprobated over the police handling of the unrest. It argued that the larger deployment on 31 October, when a bigger police presence prevented new clashes, should have been in place a week earlier. The plenary rejected the motion on 5 November. La Razón reports that Junts and Vox also accused Collboni of failing to prevent the disturbances, but that he avoided the reprobation. The PP also demanded a report within 30 days on both incidents, more police on main shopping streets, and an investigation of calls spread on social media. The city government described its response as quick, forceful and coordinated, and warned that the calls are organised through opaque social media profiles with many minors involved. Barcelona en Comú argued for education and community prevention alongside policing.