EMT Madrid launches a request for proposal to design the bus of the future

The municipal transport company of Madrid (EMT, Empresa Municipal de Transportes de Madrid) has recently launched a request for proposals (RFP) aiming to implement innovative busses for the city.

Other transport agencies are adopting similar approaches (e.g., tenders, RFPs, etc.) around Europe to collect new ideas and promote new mobility technologies and services. In 2020, Ile de France launched the “Traveller Information Challenge” to gather applications proposing more accessible public transport solutions. The challenge was won by a young French start-up that developed ‘EZYMOB’, a mobile app which makes public transport journeys for visually impaired easier.

The Madrilenian transport company is also experiencing a digital transformation. Consistent with the Madrid 360 Environmental Sustainability Strategy – aiming to reduce emissions in the city of Madrid by 65% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels, and to achieve climate neutrality by 2050 – EMT’s new Strategic Plan expects to invest over €1 billion by 2025 to decarbonise the company, transitioning to alternative and sustainable energy sources, and electrifying 25% of its bus fleet by 2025.

Madrid has been a pioneer in technological innovation development for sustainable mobility. EMT has developed the Madrid Mobility 360 app, a Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) app that integrates public transport and free-floating shared mobility services. During the pandemic, the smart mobility app planned journeys based on bus occupancy. Indeed, Madrid is a city that is experimenting a wide range of ideas to boost public transport use.

As part of this initiative, EMT will offer to the winner EUR 100,000 and to the second classified  EUR 50,000. The winning team is asked to provide technical assistance and consultancy services to EMT – services of an estimated value of EUR 300,000 – in order to develop a prototype of the bus of the future.

To accelerate innovation and sustainability in public transport solutions, EMT is launching this competition to design the “Concept Bus.” Designers will have to propose and create a full-scale prototype vehicle that attracts new users and makes travelling by public transport easier and more appealing.

Participants will be judged on two criteria:

1. the evaluation of the technical design and operation, therefore the exterior design and its seamless integration with the surrounding urban environment, its technological and digital innovation; and
2. social inclusion, equality, and accessibility of the vehicle’s design.

Finally, this initiative will enable EMT to gather the best ideas proposed regarding functionality and design, and include them in the future tenders for busses from 2024 onwards.

The deadline for submitting the proposal to EMT is 5 December 2022.