Motosharing is a trend that is increasingly popular in many cities, including Madrid. It consists of companies with fleets of electric motorcycles that are rented by the minute. These bikes are an excellent alternative for those who are looking for an economical, fast and, above all, environmentally-friendly method.
The fact that cities such as Madrid have put restrictions in place for the circulation of combustion engine vehicles has facilitated the growth of this type of alternative transport.
There are currently six motosharing companies operating in Madrid. To use the service, you just have to download the app from one of the companies and find the nearest bike. Below, we outline the main differences between the services provided by each of the companies.
Acciona provides shared bikes with an electric motor. It gives you the option of reserving a bike 15 minutes in advance, which will then be kept for you until you can collect it.
The cost per minute ranges from 19 to 27 cents, depending on the option you choose, and the rate for stop periods is only 5 cents.
COUP has made an ambitious entry into the motosharing market in Madrid, with an initial fleet of 850 units. To ride their bikes you need to be over 21 years old. The price for their service is 0.25 euros, making it currently the most expensive option in Madrid. In addition, the minimum use period for their bikes is 6 minutes.
It is worth pointing out that they only provide one helmet on their bikes, so if you need to bring a companion, you will need to go to one of their offices to get another helmet.
This company has the largest number of bikes in all of Madrid. They have a fleet of more than 1,000, with a power that would be equivalent to a combustion engine of 49 cc. Therefore, if you want to ride one of these bikes you only need to have the B license or an AM moped license.
According to the company, you can find one of their brand motorcycles within five minutes walking distance from anywhere in the centre of Madrid. In turn, eCooltra has expanded beyond the interior of the M-30 and you can also avail of one of their bikes in some of the surrounding districts.
In contrast to eCooltra, IoScoot is one of the smallest companies in Madrid in this sector. It has about 170 bikes and you can use them for a price of € 0.20 per minute during the day. At night, the price rises to 24 cents per minute.
One of its biggest advantages is that you can use its services 24 hours a day, and you have the option of making a 10-minute stop if you have to run an errand, so you don’t lose the bike. In addition, IoScoot bikes come with a Tablet with GPS, where you can enter your destination and get directions if you don’t know the way.
This company is a subsidiary of Cabify. They aim to expand to 1,000 units in Madrid by the end of the year, but they already have more than 300 bikes spread out around the city. Their service is available 24 hours and their bikes have a range of up to 80 kilometres, which is not at all bad.
You can take the bike outside the limits shown by the app, as long as you return it within those limits. Their rate is 22 cents per minute and 5 cents for stops. One of the advantages of using this company is that it allows you to make stops without a time limit.
This company already has more than 700 bikes in Madrid and they are very easily recognisable with their yellow and black colouring. Its equivalent in power would be a combustion engine of 125 cc, and they reach a maximum speed of 65 kilometres per hour. To ride these bikes you only need to have a B license with more than 3 years experience or an A1 motorcycle license and be older than 18.
Unlike other services, theirs is unavailable between 3am and 6am. The company uses this period to service the bikes, replace the batteries and carry out the necessary checks.
Their bikes cost 21 cents per minute, unless you buy one of their vouchers for up to 400 minutes. If you use these vouchers, the price drops to 18 cents per minute. In addition, in “stop mode” the cost is 10 cents and there is no time limit.
As you can see, there are several options available to you should you wish to use a motosharing service in Madrid. The advantages are obvious: you can get around the city in a speedy fashion without needing your own vehicle, without polluting the environment and without having to rely on public transport schedules.
