Spain
Madrid
UMR Index Rank
#26
(-5)
Score: 58%
Sustainable Mobility
#13
(+7)
Score: 61.6%
Public Transit
#31
(-2)
Score: 51.9%
Technology Adoption
#36
Score: 41.7%
| Population | 6.8 million |
| Surface area (km2) | 2,124 |
| Population-density (people/km2) | 3,197 |
| GDP per capita ($) | 42,084 |
UMR Index Rank
#26
(-5)
Score: 58%
Sustainable Mobility
#13
(+7)
Score: 61.6%
Public Transit
#31
(-2)
Score: 51.9%
Technology Adoption
#36
Score: 41.7%
What Madrid Does Well In Urban Mobility
In Europe, Madrid is a leader in autonomous transit. The city boasts several automated metro lines and plans to automate future metro extensions, such as line 13 between the Chamartín railway station and Nuevo Norte, in the city’s north. In 2023 the government of the Madrid region opened a €7.4 million ($8 million) automated warehouse for metro maintenance. Automation and better maintenance can help improve the overall network’s reliability.
The city has low pollution levels and supports clean air initiatives as it transitions toward greener transportation. In 2024, Madrid inaugurated Europe’s largest electric bus charging station, which can charge 118 buses simultaneously. The city’s municipal transport company, EMT Madrid, aims to grow the number of bus charging points by more than 20%, to 320, by 2025. With the carbon intensity of its electricity lower than in many other cities, Madrid is also working to ensure electrification efforts are powered by non-carbon- intensive energy sources such as hydropower and solar energy.
Urban Mobility Readiness Index, Sustainable Mobility, Public Transit, and Technology Adoption scores
Source: Oliver Wyman Forum and University of California, Berkeley
Challenges And Opportunities For Madrid’s Transportation System
Madrid lacks a diverse set of mobility modes and has highly dispersed public transit stations. However, efforts are underway to improve station density. This encompasses new bus lines, including a rapid transit line that launched in 2023. In Nuevo Norte, an urban renewal project is improving infrastructure, with investments in public transit and cycle lanes. The city also invested €326 million ($350 million) in the Chamartín railway station to improve multimodal and integrated travel, including for connections to surrounding areas via high-speed trains.
Madrid does not have many top universities and labs working on mobility. The Spanish capital did take a step in the right direction in 2023 with an open innovation program in partnership with the European Union, supporting five startups that develop alternative transportation concepts around public transport and active mobility.
Dimensions of the Urban Mobility Readiness Index score
Source: Oliver Wyman Forum and University of California, Berkeley
How Madrid Can Improve Its Urban Mobility Performance
Many of Madrid’s residents opt to use private cars. To combat this, the authorities have been phasing in a low-emission zone across the entire metropolitan area to discourage driving. Madrid needs to offer alternative mobility options, but its cycling infrastructure lags behind Europe’s top performers. The city has been expanding its public bicycle-sharing system, BiciMad, and is using EU funds to help grow the total number of bikes to 7,500. The city can go further by adding more e-bikes to the scheme and continuing to increase the number of stations. Madrid also can invest in building more cycle lanes.
Despite national electric vehicle (EV) incentives, Madrid still lags other cities in EV market share in sales, though the share is growing. To encourage adoption, Madrid can expand existing tax reductions. As of 2024, EVs received a 75% road tax reduction and for company cars there is also a 30% reduction in benefit in kind taxes for EVs costing under €40,000 ($44,000). Charging station availability is another major factor in EV purchase decisions, yet the density of the charging network in Madrid is lower than in other European cities. Madrid can expand on its Moves III incentives program and provide greater subsidies than are currently available.
Urban Mobility Readiness Index relative ranking evolution (2020-2024)
Source: Oliver Wyman Forum and University of California, Berkeley