Interview with Marta Labata Salvador, General Manager, BSM

15 Jan Interview with Marta Labata Salvador, General Manager, BSM

What key factors have driven Barcelona to the forefront of global urban planning innovation?

Barcelona is one of the most densely populated cities in the world. It covers only 100 square kilometers, surrounded by mountains, the sea and the river. The city has — on average — 16,000 residents per square kilometer. In central areas this reaches up to 24,000 residents per square kilometer, which is comparable to Manhattan. Moreover, Barcelona is a polycentric city with mixed land use, meaning residential, commercial and industrial areas are intertwined. On top of that, we welcome 20 million visitors each year. Managing public space and balancing the needs of residents and tourists is critical. Because of these factors, Barcelona has always been highly innovative in mobility. The city’s compact and dense layout combined with high congestion has driven us to adopt forward-thinking mobility policies. Currently, 75% of trips within the city are made using public transport or bicycles, while only 24% involve private cars. To further improve air quality, we need to support electric mobility and ensure that infrastructure is never a barrier for the adoption of electric vehicles.

What is BSM’s main mission as Barcelona’s largest urban mobility and services network?

BSM is a unique company. Although it is 100% publicly owned, it operates in competitive environments. We do not only manage public services; in most cases, we oversee private services. Our work is focused on two key areas: mobility and culture and leisure. Our overarching mission is to enhance people’s quality of life by creating positive urban experiences and contribute to a sustainable and healthy Barcelona. We aim to position ourselves as a leader and point of reference for urban management. This requires improving the daily lives of all who interact with the company, whether citizens, visitors, suppliers or employees. People are at the core of our policies. What truly matters are the impacts and experiences we create for all stakeholders. We care deeply about what we do and how we do it. Quality of life and the urban experience are shaped by how things are managed. We strive to ensure Barcelona remains an innovative and leading city where quality of life is one of its defining attributes. While innovation is often associated with information technology and new tools, it also requires going back to the basics, focusing on customer- and people-centric approaches and rethinking management models.

How is BSM advancing circular and sustainable mobility?

As the operator of Barcelona’s public bike-sharing service and other urban mobility solutions, people often question our unique value proposition. Of our many synergies within our group — economic, financial and talent management — our top priority is a focus on sustainability and the local environment. Sustainability is a key aspect in all our operations, particularly in mobility, but also in our culture and leisure segments. We have made highly strategic moves to facilitate the adoption of electric vehicles in Barcelona.

The transition to e-mobility relies on three key factors: technology, infrastructure and user experience. In terms of technology, the market already has affordable vehicles with competitive designs and sufficient range that continue to improve. Regarding infrastructure, we must ensure we have enough high-quality charging points available. In terms of user experience, we need to ensure charging is made simple, intuitive and seamless without requiring overly complex mobile apps or procedures. Our Endolla Barcelona network actively contributes to the last two aspects. This challenge is particularly significant in cities like Madrid and Barcelona where public charging infrastructure is essential. Our Endolla Barcelona network now includes 1,000 charging points, placing us among the top five cities in Europe in terms of charging points per square kilometer, per capita and per electric vehicle.

Beyond electric vehicles, shared public biking is another key component in our sustainable mobility strategy. One of our most successful initiatives is Bicing, our public bike-sharing system, which has become an essential part of Barcelona’s urban landscape. Bicing is one of the world’s top shared bike services, with 20 million trips per year. Each bike is used up to 20 times per day, and the system includes 7,600 bicycles and 163,000 users. Every year, we see a 25% turnover in users, meaning that 25% of riders leave while another 25% join. This indicates that Bicing plays a crucial role in encouraging people to try cycling in the city. Thanks to Bicing, Barcelona has become a bike-friendly city. It is an essential tool for promoting sustainable mobility and building long-term habits.

What steps has BSM taken to incorporate sustainability in its leisure and culture segment?

Sustainability is not only important to mobility; it also extends to leisure and culture. We manage Tibidabo — one of Barcelona’s main amusement parks — located in the city’s green zone. Currently 60% of visitors reach the park using public transport, with only 40% arriving by car. To reach our goal of increasing this to 80%, we invested in transforming the funicular railway — the oldest in Spain, dating back 120 years — into a new and innovative attraction. Now known as Cuca de Llum, the project has received eight international awards for its contribution to sustainable mobility, including recognition from the American Institute of Architecture.

At Port Olímpic, we have implemented several major sustainability initiatives. We built Barcelona’s largest photovoltaic infrastructure, creating a shared self-consumption energy community that generates power equivalent to the needs of 240 households. We also launched one of the Mediterranean’s largest artificial reef projects to restore marine biodiversity. Another key sustainability milestone is the Estadi Olímpic and Sant Jordi Club, where we installed extensive photovoltaic systems. We now have 6,000 square meters of solar panels across all our venues that generate energy equivalent to the annual consumption of 420 homes. It now accounts for 20% of our company’s total energy needs. In summary, sustainability is a core element in everything we do from mobility to cultural and leisure spaces. Our goal is to ensure Barcelona remains a benchmark for sustainable urban living.

How is BSM embracing digitization to enhance efficiencies and the urban experience?

We are a highly digitalized company. One of the key synergies within our group is how we approach processes. Beyond time and space constraints, the way we work and consume goods and services has evolved. We understood early on that to create positive urban experiences we needed to speak the same digital language that citizens use in other aspects of their daily lives. This understanding led us to digitize both our back-office and front-office operations.

Two platforms currently highlight our digital journey in mobility. The first is the development of SMOU, a mobility platform that has become essential in Barcelona. The city has 1.7 million residents and the service has 1.4 million users. SMOU facilitates over 70,000 daily transactions for payments and access by integrating more than 20 mobility services, including public transport, bike sharing and parking. Our 43 parking facilities currently represent 25% of Barcelona’s total. Our digital parking service goes beyond our parking facilities through agreements with the Gremi de Garatges to include private parking operators. SMOU has a 4.7-star rating on app stores and simplifies processes such as paying for regulated parking zones and accessing facilities without needing a ticket or cashier. Although it began in Barcelona, SMOU has now expanded into 15 metropolitan cities and is actively reinforcing the interconnected mobility of the region. Our second major digital initiative in mobility is SPRO, a digital platform designed for logistics professionals managing urban freight distribution. It provides real-time information on loading and unloading zones to optimize business operations while offering municipalities valuable data on vehicle movements. We serve two client groups: the business-to-consumer segment and city administrations. Our goal is to help improve efficiency and sustainability in urban logistics.

Beyond mobility, we are also driving digitization in our cultural and leisure spaces. Park Güell is Barcelona’s most visited park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It plays a dual role as an open-air museum and a neighborhood connector. We have transitioned to 100% online ticket sales at the park, which allows us to manage visitor flow effectively, minimize the impact on residents and enhance the visitor experience. We are also investing in technology for inclusivity. At both Tibidabo Amusement Park and Park Güell, we have implemented QR codes to improve accessibility and visitor experience. In collaboration with Mobile World Capital, we have also developed inclusive digital experiences for people with functional diversity. Sustainability is not only environmental but also social. Our commitment to digitalization is transforming Barcelona’s mobility, leisure and cultural sectors by enhancing efficiency, accessibility and sustainability.

What initiatives is BSM undertaking to attract, develop and retain top talent?

In any organization, what ultimately makes the difference is its people. People are valuable for their knowledge, but even more so for their values. We believe that while what we do is important, how we do it matters even more. The most successful, enriching and enjoyable moments in one’s career are often defined by those around us — colleagues, mentors and leaders — that inspire trust and motivate us. What makes a real impact is fostering collaborative environments that encourage growth and knowledge sharing. At BSM, we have a strong commitment to talent. We are a relatively small company operating in a highly concentrated market within Barcelona. We manage 16 distinct business units, each with its unique ecosystem of suppliers and stakeholders. For example, the parking market is hyper local, with competition varying from one street to another. In contrast, events like those at Sant Jordi or the Estadi Olímpic have a global reach. We require professionals with deep expertise in their respective fields, a strong understanding of the city and the ability to navigate the complexities of a multi-faceted organization.

Our approach to talent is rooted in three fundamental pillars: management, training and values. We do not only aim to do things well; we aim to do them our way. We are guided by five core values. The first is commitment. We are dedicated to all our stakeholders, including employees, visitors, suppliers and partners. We demonstrate this commitment through our passion for exceeding expectations every day. The second is proactivity. Being innovative in a research institute is commendable, but maintaining an innovative mindset after 20 years in a parking management role takes true commitment. This proactive spirit led us to develop SMOU, renovate a 120-year-old funicular and earn many industry awards. Our third core value is excellence. To us, this means balancing ambition with humility. It is about actively listening, continuously learning and striving for both personal and collective growth.

Our fourth core value is integrity. We are acutely aware that we manage nearly 60 million experiences annually, many of which shape citizens’ daily lives, whether it is a child’s first visit to the zoo, individuals attending a concert or a group of friends enjoying an amusement park. We oversee 440 hectares of emblematic spaces across Barcelona, from Montjuïc to the Port Olímpic. With such a vast array of cultural experiences, integrity, accountability and ethical resource management are fundamental to our operations. Our last key value is cooperation. Internally, this means fostering respect, empathy and teamwork across our almost 2,000 employees. Externally, it means building strong public-private partnerships. Collaboration is essential to our success. In mobility, for instance, we manage Bicing while another company handles maintenance and logistics. In electric vehicle charging, we work across the entire value chain, from charging point manufacturers to energy providers. In the leisure sector, we manage Anella Olímpica while working alongside major event promoters. At Port Olímpic, we have invested in infrastructure while partnering with top-tier restaurateurs like the Torres brothers who hold three Michelin stars. In the blue economy, we collaborate with many major players.

Ultimately, our commitment to talent development extends beyond our company. We engage with primary and secondary students to cultivate future professionals in mobility and urban planning through our various programs. We actively partner with educational institutions, industry leaders and public organizations to address skill gaps and prepare the next generation of urban innovators.

Why are Barcelona’s mobility and leisure segments attractive for US and other foreign investors in 2025?

Public-private collaborations are not just here to stay; they must continue to expand. The world is evolving rapidly, and Barcelona’s citizens have high expectations. Public-private partnerships are essential in tackling pressing challenges such as artificial intelligence (AI) advancements and climate change while keeping quality of life at the center of our mission. Traditionally, these collaborations were focused on infrastructure investments such as building ports and highways. However, there is a growing need for partnerships beyond infrastructure, particularly in software development, data management and sustainability. While the public sector often provides investment, the private sector’s expertise is critical for long-term innovation.

Barcelona offers a thriving ecosystem that fosters these collaborations. As the host of the Mobile World Congress, our city is home to a dynamic startup environment and a strong talent pool specialized in mobility and technology. We are also pioneers in urban innovation, including the launch of fully automated metro lines like Line 9 and advancing electric vehicle technologies.

Looking ahead, long-term partnerships between Barcelona and US entities could focus on the following areas: smart city solutions including AI-driven urban mobility management; sustainable infrastructure, particularly in renewable energy and maritime conservation; and advanced data analytics for improving public services and urban planning. The opportunities for collaboration are vast, and Barcelona is ready to engage with US companies, institutions and investors to drive the future of sustainable smart cities.

What is your long-term vision for the company and the future of mobility and public spaces in Barcelona?

We live in a time of great global challenges, including geopolitical conflicts, cultural advancements, the Fourth Industrial Revolution, artificial intelligence and climate change. The latter is the greatest challenge humanity has faced. We must remain hopeful. All of us can contribute. My main challenge as CEO is to ensure we never lose sight of our core mission to enhance the wellbeing of our customers’ lives and listen to their needs. We continuously strive to be a customer-centric company. We remind ourselves every morning that our goal is to evolve and refine our value proposition. We are actively driving innovation, embracing new technologies and ensuring our services remain relevant.

Barcelona’s current commitment to its development model may not completely address global challenges. In the future, 80% of the world’s population will be concentrated in large metropolitan regions. The future quality of life for most of this world’s inhabitants will be in the hands of local policies. We live in a global world with global challenges, and cities significantly influence our quality of life. It is important to share hope and foster collaboration in building a better future.