Interested parties must submit proposals in a closed letter, or in person, at the Balcão Único, against receipt, by “5pm on the working day prior to the event taking place [January 14]” or sent by post, under registration.

“The operation of bicycle sharing activities in the municipality will be carried out on an exclusive basis by the holders of the three licenses to be granted, for a period of two years, in order to guarantee a quality and reference service, without prejudice to its annual renewal, up to a limit of four years”, adds the municipality.

The public auction must be divided into 3 lots, “giving the possibility to different operators to present their proposals. One of the lots (lot 1) corresponds to a combined license, consisting of 350 electric scooters and 100 electric bicycles; lot 2 corresponds to a license to operate 350 electric scooters and lot 3 to a license to operate 100 electric bicycles”.

The Municipality of Faro has been developing, since 2019, “as a pilot project, some partnership agreements with shared soft mobility operators, based on the increase of these modes of mobility in the municipality”.

“In May 2024, the Municipality's municipal soft mobility regulation came into force, which allowed the introduction of a new normative discipline for users of public space, determining circulation and parking rules in public space for shared-use bicycles (scooters and electric bicycles)”, states the Chamber.

The base value of each bid is €15,000 for lot 1; €10,000 for lot 2 and €5,000 for lot 3. Subsequent bids must be at least €200, or multiples of that amount.

The process, as well as the Municipal Smooth Mobility Regulation of the Municipality of Faro, are available for consultation at the Department of Infrastructure and Urbanism/Service of the Transport Authority, at Balcão Único and on the Municipality's website.