Indigo wins contract for ex-Regesa car parks

The French parking operator Indigo, via its Spanish subsidiary INDIGO INFRA ESPAÑA, will manage five public car parks previously operated by the defunct public company Regesa. The contract covers four sites in Barcelona and one in L'Hospitalet, following a public tender by the Institut Metropolità de Promoció de Sòl i Gestió Patrimonial (IMPSOL), which is part of the Àrea Metropolitana de Barcelona (AMB). Indigo was the only bidder in the process, securing the rights to operate 635 car spaces, 56 motorcycle spots, 75 storage units, and space for 48 bicycles. The facilities are located at Plaça Ferran Reyes and Plaça Maragall in the Sant Andreu district, Carrer Cristóbal de Moura in Sant Martí, Plaça Isabel Vilà in the 22@ district, which is still under construction, and Plaça Francesc Macià in L'Hospitalet.

50-year concession with investment commitments

The concession period runs from 2026 until between 2053 and 2064, depending on the site. Indigo will pay 6.35 million euros over the life of the agreements and has committed to invest 5.1 million euros in facility upgrades and over 1 million euros in digital technology. This includes integrating platforms such as ElParking, Bip&Drive, and Waylet to streamline access for subscribers. The company must complete construction at Plaça Isabel Vilà, where work began in 2010 but stalled after four phases. A legal agreement also requires 36 parking spaces to be reserved for the PInNAH Foundation to serve users and staff of the neighbouring Evangelic Hospital.

Regesa’s legacy and renewed strategy

The car parks were originally managed by REGESA Aparcaments i Serveis, SA (RASSA), a subsidiary of Regesa, the former public construction and property developer for the dissolved Consell Comarcal del Barcelonès (CCB). After years of financial losses, Regesa was liquidated in 2024. Its assets, including these parking facilities, were transferred to IMPSOL. This is not the first attempt to privatise these assets. In 2015, six car parks were put out to tender as a single lot for 14 million euros, but only two, Plaça Wagner and Mercat de la Mercè, were successfully awarded. The current bid revises prices significantly downward; for example, Plaça Maragall’s starting price has dropped from 1.1 million euros in 2015 to 696,465 euros in 2026. IMPSOL aims to reinvest focus and resources into tackling the housing crisis in the metropolitan area, particularly through the Generalitat de Catalunya’s 'Pla 50.000' initiative to boost social and affordable housing.

Indigo expands presence in Catalonia

Indigo, one of the world’s largest parking operators, already manages 15 car parks in Barcelona, including sites at Maremagnum, El Born Centre, Can Fabra, and the Ciutat de la Justícia. It operates over 2,800 facilities globally, with more than 1.7 million parking spaces across 10 countries. In Spain, Indigo strengthened its position in 2024 by acquiring Parkia, the country’s third-largest parking operator. The addition of these five new sites further consolidates its role in urban mobility infrastructure in the Barcelona metropolitan area.

Reported by metropoliabierta.cat.