Mobility in big cities is a constant challenge. Tech Barcelona is organising a day of debate and reflection to analyse the technological challenges in this environment: from automation and hyperconnectivity through 5G, to the redefinition of new models such as shared mobility.

Speakers:

• Miguel Ángel Fernández Ros – Telefónica
• Oriol Marimón-Clos – Cooltra
• Noemí Moya – Voi Technology

Moderator:

• Matteo Consonni – EIT Urban Mobility

Take Aways

• The citizen at the centre. Mobility has changed paradigms: today it is a daily choice that depends on a multitude of factors. If it rains, I go by metro; if I am accompanied, motor-sharing; if I am relatively close, scooter. More mobility options to get from point A to point B means less dependence on the private car. “We believe in multimodality, scooters are a last mile integrated with public transport,” says Noemi Moya of Voi Technology.

• Sustainable, safe and integrated mobility. Adding so many mobility options offers alternatives, but regulation goes hand in hand with these new players and coexistence is not always easy: “When we make vehicles available to the public, we are responsible for safety and parking. On an internal level too: marking the bikes that have to be relocated, knowing if a bike has to go to the workshop, monitoring times…”, says Oriol Marimón, B2C General Manager of Cooltra. The solution lies in technology. Both scooters and motorbikes have devices to detect if the vehicle is overturned or badly parked, and there are incentives for good behaviour.

• Connected cities. This new scenario is a great challenge and it is up to the administration to fit together a puzzle with more and more pieces. “Without the infrastructure, we are nobody. It is costly to deploy and requires an economic and time investment, but it is essential to achieve these new services that put the citizen at the centre,” explains Miguel Ángel Fernández, Project Manager of Telefónica’s Digital Development Area. The agility of start-ups is the first domino that triggers the development of 5G or Artificial Intelligence, companies are taking it to scale.

Bonus Track

70% of cities believe that reducing the number of car journeys and increasing micro-mobility would have a positive impact on road safety. Here is the Voi Technology report that analyses the impact of shared micro-mobility in cities.