As cities increasingly invest in sustainable mobility, real-time operational visibility becomes essential for managing large-scale shared transportation systems.
To support Lisbon’s growing bike-sharing network, Focus BC developed a real-time monitoring and safety sensing system for EMEL’s GIRA service powered by City as a Platform.
The solution enabled operational teams to monitor bicycles and stations in real time, improve responsiveness, and support smarter urban mobility planning across the city.
The Customer
EMEL is the municipal company responsible for managing mobility and parking operations in the city of Lisbon.
In 2017, the company launched GIRA, Lisbon’s public bike-sharing service, introducing a new sustainable mobility solution designed to improve urban transportation and accessibility across the city.
Today, GIRA plays an important role in Lisbon’s mobility ecosystem by providing a practical and environmentally friendly transportation alternative for residents and visitors.
The Challenge
As the bike-sharing network expanded, EMEL needed a solution capable of monitoring bicycles and docking stations in real time while processing large volumes of operational data.
The organization required a platform capable of:
Monitoring bicycles and stations in real time
Managing thousands of data points per second
Detecting operational anomalies quickly
Supporting faster maintenance interventions
Improving operational awareness across the network
Supporting future station planning and expansion
The challenge required a scalable and intelligent monitoring platform capable of supporting operational decision-making across the city.
The Solution
City as a Platform provided EMEL with a centralized monitoring environment for GIRA’s operational management and mobility analytics.
The solution enabled:
Real-time visualization of bicycles and stations
Geographic operational monitoring
Intelligent alarm and alert systems
Faster operational response workflows
Analysis of mobility patterns and urban behavior
Support for strategic station planning
Improved operational visibility across the network
The platform helped operational teams improve responsiveness while supporting data-driven mobility planning.
Trips per Day
Positions Communicated
Trips Stored
The Results
Real-time visualization and monitoring of bicycles
Faster operational response through intelligent alarm systems
Improved monitoring of station availability and operational status
Better understanding of mobility patterns and population behavior
Support for planning new bike stations
Improved operational coordination and network visibility
Smarter Urban Mobility Management
With City as a Platform, GIRA reinforced its ability to manage a large-scale shared mobility network with greater operational efficiency and visibility.
The platform now supports faster operational response, smarter mobility planning, and improved management of Lisbon’s public bike-sharing ecosystem.
Explore the public app here: www.gira-bicicletasdelisboa.pt/descobre-as-estacoes/
FAQ
Common questions
GIRA is Lisbon’s public bike-sharing system operated by EMEL, providing shared mobility services across the city.
The project needed to monitor bicycles and stations in real time while managing large volumes of operational and location-based data.
The platform enables real-time monitoring, operational alerts, geographic visualization, and data-driven planning for urban mobility services.