Barcelona City Council will not renew licences for shared rental bicycles from 1 January 2025, Mayor Jaume Collboni said on Thursday morning. The decision means the city will stop the current shared bike services when the licences expire.
Collboni said the current use of these services has become a problem for public space. He said the council had held several meetings with the companies involved, but that the issues had continued.
According to council data, the city has issued 5,413 fines to the seven companies operating shared rental bikes since January 2023. During the same period, municipal tow trucks removed 2,099 bikes that were parked incorrectly on public roads.
The council has also received 4,443 complaints from residents about badly parked shared bikes. Many of those complaints came from Ciutat Vella, L'Eixample and Sant Martí, areas with high tourist traffic.
Collboni also said the services affect local alternatives, including traditional bike rental shops in Ciutat Vella and L'Eixample. He said the council will soon expand Bicing, Barcelona's municipal bike-sharing service. Municipal sources said the new contract will include more bikes and more stations.
When the council awarded new shared bike licences at the end of 2024, it added a requirement for companies to control parking more effectively. Municipal sources said the companies showed willingness to comply, but the condition was not met. The licences will therefore not be renewed for Smart Cycles, RideMovi, Cooltra, Boltest TXFY, Lime Technology, Bird Rides Spain and Voi Technology. More Catalonia news