One of my workmates just got back from a trip to Paris and was telling me about this thing called Vélib’. Sounded pretty cool to me, too and as it´s about bikes, I thought I´d share with you…
So what is it? It´s basically a self service “bike hire” system, as quite a few cities have available already – mainly to reduce traffic and as a side effect to get people to exercise more.
According to wikipedia, Vélib’ is the world´s largest system of its kind, offering 20,000 bicycles and 1,450 stations – roughly one station every 300 metres throughout the city centre – available 24/7.
For costs – the system offers annual subscription for 29Euros or short term subscriptions for 1 Day for 1 Euro or 7Days for 5 Euros. Whatever option you go for, the first 30minutes of your journey are always free. If your trip is longer, it will cost you 1 euro for the first 30 minutes after that, 2 euros for the 2nd half an hour and 4 euros for the 3rd half an hour.
Now I admit, the bikes themselves aren´t really what I´d call eye candy and they are supposed to be a bit heavy, too, esspeccially for younger folks. However I do think it´s a great option, available at an affordable price and I surely will give it a shot next time I´m in Paris.
More info and service point list here and here
3 responses so far ↓
1 Jewlz Ellem // Aug 6, 2009 at 11:03 pm
These bicycle programs are fantastic!
I think Lyon was the first city in France to trial a program like this back in 2004/05 – their bikes are a little less cumbersome to ride than these Parisian ones look like the would be, and was touted as the first successful mass bicycle rental system.
In Lyon, you need to register beforehand, get a little card with a security code, which acts kind of like a credit card. You swipe your card, and voila, you hear a little click and you’ve got yourself a new set of wheels, complete with a bicycle lock.
So, if the Parisian scheme is similar – then before you go off to Paris, perhaps it would be wise to register for a card… They used to take 7 days to arrive in Lyon…
The VeloV bicycles of Lyon are digitally traced, and once returned to the rack it is automatically checked for tyre pressure, brakes, gears and lights – any malfunction means that it isn’t offered up for rent until a mechanic has given the bike a service.
Refer their website for more info:
http://www.velov.grandlyon.com/Index.1.0.html?&no_cache=1&L=1
2 Anja - Berlin // Aug 6, 2009 at 11:39 pm
according to my friend and also the velib website, there´s no need to register beforehand.
3 Jewlz Ellem // Aug 8, 2009 at 9:53 pm
Hoorah! I remember it being such a pain having to pre-register, and then wait a week to use the service! Feels like only yesterday, but in hindsight it was probably 3 years ago now!
Happy Parisian cycling – looking forward to the pics!
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