The Formentera Office of Mobility is pleased to report that from 21 to 31 January, both inclusive, applications will be accepted for seasonal chauffeur permits on Formentera for 2022 and 2023. All told, 24 seasonal taxi positions will be made available, with half the drivers working from the start of June to mid-September and the other half driving from mid-June through the end of September.

This initiative is included in Formentera's 2022-2023 Action Plan for Public Transport in Passenger Vehicles, which was approved with the consensus of the taxi drivers' association. Forty-nine drivers will provide service in summer 2022 and summer 2023: 25 with regular permits and 24 with seasonal ones. Rafael González, Councillor of Mobility, pointed out that the move would put 29% more cabs on the road than in summer 2021, when there were 38 cabs (25 ordinary permits and 13 seasonal).

"The plan improves the supply of Formentera's public taxi service, taking into account jumps in demand that have occurred in recent summers", explained the councillor. Demand for taxis increased 8% between 2021 and 2019.
This plan works toward the objectives outlined by the Sustainable Mobility Plan of the Consell de Formentera and formentera.eco, which in addition to regulating vehicles brought and driven on the island, establishes the need for improvements in local public transport.

Applications

This offer is open to holders of permanent permits; salaried transport sector employees and former holders of temporary permits. Among the permits that have been set aside, 19 are for holders of ordinary chauffeur permits on Formentera and five are for salaried workers and former permit-holders. Permits can only be used by the person named on the document.

Terms governing the application process were published yesterday in the Official Gazette of the Balearic Islands (BOIB) and on the Consell de Formentera website. Permits will be awarded in a process of open competition. The terms and conditions are available here.

21 January 2022
Communications Office
Consell de Formentera

On Wednesday, Ana Juan, President of the Consell de Formentera, and Pep Malagrava, the Balearic Director General of Energy and Climate Change, signed a collaboration agreement to link 24 municipally-owned charging points to the Balearic Network for Electric Mobility (Xarxa de Mobilitat Elèctrica de les Illes Balearics, Melib) and facilitate its use to drivers of e-vehicles on the island.

The signing was also attended by Ferran Rosa, Managing Director of the Balearic Energy Institute (Institut Balear de l'Energia, IBE), and Rafael González, Councillor of Mobility of the Consell de Formentera.

President Juan stressed that "Formentera's membership in the Melib network will help to promote the new model of mobility that the island needs and our administration is working toward". "Government agencies must facilitate and accelerate this change and the Melib network is one more step", she said.

For his part, Councillor González pointed that e-vehicle mobility is supported by recharge points at the island's urban centres and public car parks with more than 30 parking spaces and that "for years the Consell has been committed to promoting more sustainable transport for Formentera; this is the island Formentera is striving to become".

The IBE will provide the island's government with technical guides, training and connection cards so its recharge stations can be configured and connected to the Melib network. The IBE will use an interface platform to coordinate the Melib network and manage recharging on it.

As manager of the recharge points, the Consell de Formentera, in turn, will follow the IBE's indications and implement a system of maintenance so users on the network can benefit from the service. As a member of the network, the Consell de Formentera will affix Melib and formentera.eco decals and stickers at its recharge stations. 

Rollout

This arrangement will remain in force for four years from the date of signature, whereupon it may be extended for another four years.  Project engineers expect the system to be implemented by next season. Users can enter "Melib" in the search bar of the App Store or Play Store to download an associated app. Users must request an associated card from the Formentera Office of Mobility to gain free access to local recharge points. Cardholders may also use Melib recharge points across the region.

15 December 2021
Communications Office
Consell de Formentera

The Formentera Office of Mobility is pleased to announce that requests for assistance to defray the expense of standard and electric bicycles (€100 and €300 respectively) will be accepted from tomorrow. Between 3 December 2021 and 3 January 2022, Formentera residents over 18 can submit applications to the Citizen Information Office (Oficina d'Atenció al Ciutadà, OAC) or the Virtual Citizen Information Office (OVAC).

Included in Formentera's Sustainable Mobility Plan, the initiative aims "to encourage islanders who typically travel exclusively by car to buy a bicycle and start completing a portion of their journeys on two wheels", explained Rafael González, Councillor of Mobility. "We hope little steps like these will enable us to make Formentera a more sustainable island and one with a cleaner brand of mobility", said the councillor, "where we can reduce CO2 emissions and noise pollution while promoting healthier lifestyles".

Terms and conditions

The Consell de Formentera has unlocked an initial tranche of €15,000 to subsidise bicycle purchases. Assistance will be awarded on a competitive basis, with the only factor being order of submission.

The offer applies to new manual and electric city, hiking and mountain bikes purchased in Formentera establishments. The cost must remain under €1,000 for conventional bikes and under €3,000 for e-bikes, VAT excluded.

Interested parties must submit the associated forms and an estimate specifying the brand, model and the technical terms available on the Consell de Formentera website.

2 December 2021
Communications Office
Consell de Formentera

As part of European Mobility Week, the Formentera Office of Mobility has taken advantage of World Car-Free Day today, 22 September, to release data on the number of visitors who visisted Es Cap on foot or by bicycle during the busiest day of August this year.

On 14 August, 1,090 people and 54 cyclists accessed Es Cap, making it, at 1,144 visits, the busiest day in 2021. In 2019, the busiest day came on the 10th day of the same month, when 676 walkers and 31 cyclists accessed the lighthouse, for a total of 707 visits in one day. Comparing the data over the previous two years, pedestrian and bicycle visits are up 62%. In particular, foot traffic increased by 61% and bicycle traffic by 74%.

Councillor of Mobility Rafael González highlighted the fact that the regulation of motor vehicle access to Es Cap, which began in 2017, “made it possible to have more visitors and still avoid problems of saturation, crowding or violence in the natural area”. González said the data “speak to the success of measures to promote sustainable mobility and give a sense of the path to follow in the future".

Access constraints in force from 1 June to 15 October are designed to preserve the unspoilt stretch of land located on the public estate of Sa Tanca d'Allà Dins. For the last five years, motor vehicle access has been restricted by a barrier located at km 6.5 of the Es Cap de Barbaria road. The measure is intended to guarantee a positive experience, and easy access, for residents and visitors on their way to the Es Cap lighthouse or the Es Garroveret watchtower.

22 September 2021
Communications Office
Consell de Formentera