Vélib'- Ten Years Old

On July 15, 2007, then Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoë opened 10,600 bikes in 750 self-service rental stations to Parisians and the world.  For only €1 ($1.14 US) a day, one could take unlimited rides of 30 minutes each or less. It seemed to be a transportation revolution.

Vélib' success made the world embrace self-service public bicycles.

It might not have been the first program,
but its notoriety changed the world.

Video on how it all began for Paris

In 2007 there were only around 20 self-service public use bicycle programs throughout the world.  Now ten years later, there are over 1,350. Many of them are direct copies of the JCDecaux design and function seen in Vélib'.

What at first might have seemed a curiosity, automated self-service bicycle rental has turned into a social phenomenon. According to JCDecaux, the current operator of Vélib', every minute 75 Vélib' bikes are rented in Paris. On average each bike is used about 6 times a day. In the last 10 years over 300,000,000 trips were pedaled on Vélib'. Now, there are 300,000 annual subscribers to the system in the City of Lights.

The Next 15 Years

January 2018 will bring, Vélib’ 2.0, with a new design, a new service, and a new operator: the Smoovengo consortium will replace JCDecaux. It will introduce what Smoovengo bills as the "4th generation" in self-service bicycles. This will include 30% of the fleet as electric assisted pedelecs. The maximum speed for the electric assist pedelecs will be set at 25 km/h (15.5 mph).  Weighing 20.6 kg (45 lbs.) the regular pedal new Vélib’ will be "lighter and stronger" than the old one at 22.7 kg (50 lbs.). 

The new "padlock fork will help prevent theft" from stations and while parking away from stations. To abate the annoyance of Parisians, who have found stations full when returning a bike, the system of will allow "depositing bikes at a station even when all the places are already occupied".  Each bike will have "embedded electronics" with a handlebar equipped with an on-board communication system (the Smoove Box) that is self-powered by a dynamo that will allow connecting a smartphone for way-finding and information.

Illustration of the Smoove Box 

Congratulations to Vélib', the old and the new. 

Vive les vélos en libre-service & Vive le 

Vélo Liberté 

images & information: Vélib' (logo & Video) Franceblue l'Express, Smoove

Russell Meddin

Keep in touch with The Bike-sharing World with The Bike-sharing World Map. It is the premiere resource for information on Public Use Bicycle programs and a complement to The Bike-sharing Blog.
The map can be viewed at www.bikesharingmap.com.

Follow the Map on Twitter@BikesharingMap   

The Bike-sharing World - Middle of July 2014

After a few sparks in cities around Europe,

Bike-sharing Explodes!

It happened seven years ago this week in Paris.

Happy Anniversary Vélib'

Vélib'

Original

image: Vélib'

Russell Meddin            bikesharephiladelphia.org

Keep in touch with The Bike-sharing World with The Bike-sharing World Map. It is the premiere resource for information on cities with bike-sharing programs and the complement to The Bike-sharing Blog. The easy web address for viewing the map is www.bikesharingworld.com.

Follow the Map on Twitter@BikesharingMap

Paris: Vélib' Bike-share Called Into Action To Fight Pollution

Update: 
The offer of the Vélib' 1 days pass at no charge will remain in effect through Monday March 17, 2013. All other city transit is also being offered at no charge to help reduce the pollution by giving alternatives to private motor vehicles. As of the evening of Monday March 17, 2014 over 550,000 Velib' rides were taken to reduce pollution since the offer was made on Maech 13, 2014.

On Thursday March 13, 2014 there was a winter day record of over 135,000 Vélib' trips to help reduce the pollution over Paris.
According to a Vélib' source, 7848 free tickets were dispensed on Friday, March 14th, by 6 PM Paris time, that is close to 2,000 more than the day before!

With the extremely high level of pollition in the French Capital this week, the Mayor of Paris is offering the Vélib' bike-share pass at no charge today and tomorrow. In an effort to reduce the amount of automobile traffic the Mayor is asking residents to leave their cars at home and use Vélib'. For Thursday, March 13th and Friday, March 14th there will be no charge for the 1 day pass at all Vélib' stations according to an official Vélib' web site

Anti-Pollution Measure - One Day Pass Free - March 13 & 14

If you are in Paris March 13th or 14th help reduce the unusual heavy pollution blanketing the City, take Vélib' and take advantage of the free one day pass  which allows 30 minutes of use at no charge each time you take out the bike. Please ride slowly and carefully!

image: Vélib' et Moi

Russell Meddin               bikesharephiladelphia.org

Keep in touch with The Bike-sharing World with The Bike-sharing World Map. It is the premiere resource for information on cities with bike-sharing and complement to The Bike-sharing Blog. The easy web address for viewing the map is www.bikesharingworld.com.

Follow the Map on Twitter@BikesharingMap

The Bike-sharing World - Third Week of January 2014

EUROPE:
France:
                           Paris:  The new and the old with Vélib:

From:
GlassCamp at the WebSchoolFactory at the first European glass Hackathon.

How to use it?
When walking, ask glass: "Ok glass, find a bike station." Then, while on the bike, use the go to menu to find your destination. Set up the chronometer to signal the time to return the bike before 30 minutes to avoid the overage charge. Ten minutes before the end of 30 minutes, BikeFinder will direct you to the nearest station. With BikeFinder, there is no need to get out your mobile phone, nor stop the ride in transit. Will this be the way to find bike-sharing stations anywhere in the world, just with voice command and Google Glass?

The  most recent Vélib news letter Vélib et Moi is clarifing the reports of stolen and damaged Vélibs for 2013. The article states that during 2013, 8,000 bikes were stolen or damage of which 87% were recovered or fixed. That means over the course of the year 1,040 bikes were either lost or damaged beyond repair. It states that Vélib stations that have extraordinary high rates of damage or theft are temporarily closed until there is community engagement to stem the situation. Most press reports have only reported the losses and not the recoveries. Even some of the bikes that cast asunder into the river Seine are recovered. To begin 2014, the Vélib fleet on the street is once again up to 18,000 bicycles. 

THE WORLD:

Bicycle Sharing 101

If you are starting a new bike-sharing program:
A friend of The Bike-sharing Blog, Bradley Schroeder, has just publihed a new book: Bicycle Sharing 101: Getting The Wheels Turning. It is worth the read for both the novive and current operators of bike-sharing programs.

Keep in touch with The Bike-sharing World with The Bike-sharing World Map. It is the premiere resource for information on cities with bike-sharing. The easy web address for viewing the map is www.bikesharingworld.com.

Follow the Map on Twitter@BikesharingMap

See the O'Brien Global Bike Share Map which shows real time bike usage in many cities!

images: Vélib

Russell Meddin               bikesharephiladelphia.org

Sixth Year Anniversary of Vélib' - July 15th

Translation: Elisabeth Meddin, Placement: Alexandre Meddin,  Original          

For 6 years Paris' Vélib' had been on The Bike-sharing World Map 

This Map is the #1 resource for bike-sharing systems world wide. It shows new systems coming online which might not be covered in The Bike-sharing Blog. With constant updates, it is  the best way to keep up with the ever changing bike-sharing world.

Follow the Map on Twitterhttps://twitter.com/BikesharingMap

See the O'Brien Global Bike Share Map. It shows real time bike usage in 100 Cities!

image: Vélib' et Moi

Russell Meddin              bikesharephiladelphia.org

The Bike-sharing World - Mid-September 2012

EUROPE

United Kingdom:
London:

Barclays Cycle Hire is planning to increase its size by 25% with an expansion into west London next year. Speaking to the press, Mayor Boris Johnson said, "Every Londoner should be able to take advantage of our hugely popular and iconic Barclays Cycle Hire scheme which has already brought untold benefits to London's commuters, businesses, and visitors alike." The plan will bring 2,400 more bikes in 200 new stations to boroughs of Wandsworth, Hammersmith and Fulham, Lambeth and Kensington, and Chelsea according to Transport for London.

France:
Strasbourg:

A colloquium, "Bike-sharing: Where are we now?" was held in Strasbourg this week. Representatives from all over France as well as parts of Germany and Switzerland participated. One of the interesting concepts that was discussed is the idea that bike-sharing is a new form of communication. The economist Frédéric Héran, who teaches at the University of Lille, posits that bike-sharing is a way our cities "communicate" about themselves showing that they are vibrant and "trendy." There were also discussions on the change bike-sharing has brought to adhering cities. Most of which were very positive. There were also lively discussions on the relative cost of programs to cities.

Paris:

A Paris police spokesman said that "a large number of investigators" were working to solve a reported form of "class warfare" vandalism to Paris' wildly successful bike-share system. After 50 Vélib' tires were slashed, according to the report, a group claimed that it planned to vandalize the bikes in all areas of the city that were not in working class districts. The police do not view these claims to be inflated and are working tirelessly to stop any more incidents. 


NORTH AMERICA:
Mexico:
Mexico City:

Seventy-two more Ecobici stations are up and running in Mexico City this week as the system opens the start of its Phase II expansion. By the end of the year there will 275 Ecobici stations with 4,000 bicicletas rolling around more areas of the City. On Wednesday, the Head of Government for the Federal District of Mexico City, Marcelo Ebrard, cut the ribbon to open this huge expansion of the Ecobici system according to a city press release. With that one snip of the scissors, Ecobici more than doubled its size. It is hopeful that the ridership will almost triple to 73,000 trips a day with this expansion. The system is open only to residents of Mexico City and had been limited no more than 30,000 subscribers. Phase II is expected to allow up to 100,000 subscribers according to Iván De la Lanza of the Ministry of Environment of Mexico City.

USA:
Madison, Wisconsin; Denver, Colorado and Boulder, Colorado:

The B-connected Reciprocity Initiative now includes three B-cycle Cities. Annual subscribers to the Madison, Wisconsin, Boulder, Colorado and Denver, Colorado can use their membership card to take bikes in each other cities. The overage time charges, if any, are at the renting location rates. According to the press release, B-cycle hopes to extend this B-connected Reciprocity Initiative to more of the B-cycle systems in the USA.

Long Beach, California:

Bike Nation the dominate bike-sharing force in the Los Angels Basin has debuted its second generation bike-share bike even before its first generation has hit the streets. In a press release this week Bike Nation shows its new "Made in USA" bike. It expects to create more than 150 new jobs making these bikes to fulfills its plans for the 2,500 bikes in 250 stations for Long Beach, California and the 4,000 bikes in 400 stations for Downtown Los Angeles, Hollywood, Westwood and around Venice Beach, California.  Bike Nation's first deployment of a system which was to begin in Anaheim, California at the end of July, should actually begin operation this month but using the older Bike Nation bike. In Anaheim, there will be 100 bikes in 10 stations to begin, with a goal to increase the size of the system as demand warrants. 

Washington, DC:

For all of you who just can't get enough bike-sharing information, the Pedestrian and Bicycle  Information Center just released the report: Bike Sharing in The United States: State of the Practice and Guide to Implementation. This 68-page report is a good read. The report is available here in PDF form.

ASIA:
Israel:
Tel Aviv:

Reports out of Tel Aviv are that it will not be fun to use Tel-O-Fun on Wednesday, September 26th. Although there is now a compromise, according to The Jerusalem Post, the Israeli Minister of Transportation threatened to stop all funding to Tel-O-Fun if it did not close down for the religious holiday of Yom Kippur -- an important Jewish holiday, on that date. The Jewish religion forbids work on Yom Kippur. The compromise is that on Yom Kippur only annual subscribers will be allowed to use the system; casual members will not.


The World:

The Bike-sharing World Map is the #1 resource for bike-sharing systems. It shows new systems which come online which might not be covered in The Bike-sharing Blog. Keep up with the changing bike-sharing world by frequent visits to The Bike-sharing World Map.

images: TfL,Strasbourg, Mexico, B-cycle, BikeNation, Tel-O-Fun

Russell Meddin    bikesharephiladelphia.org

The Bike-sharing World: First Week of April 2011

Velib'

Europe: The Price of Success

On April 15th, with the approval of the Parisian City government, a revised rate structure for Vélib' begins with many good additions. The current annual subscription of 29€ ($41.50 US) with the first 30 minutes free each time the bike is used remains the same. A new 39€ ($55 US) subscription with 45 free minutes instead of 30 free minutes will induce suburban users to ride longer to work, school, or even further into the city. There is an advantageous subscription for young people under 26 years of age which gives them 45 minutes free instead of the 30 minutes free, but at the same price of 29€ per year subscription. Also there is a new scholastic tariff for students under 26 years of age which affords them a discount of 10€ off the price of a regular annual subscription. A new "formula touristic" allows people holding a credit card without a "chip" (that is most North Americans) to register online or at certain outlets (hotel, tourist office, etc.) in Paris for the 1-day or 7-day pass. The single 1-day pass is now the same price as a single one-way Paris Metro or bus trip 1.70€. This is excellent pricing for making an effective cost connection between bike-sharing and other forms of public transit. The 7-day pass is 8€ ($11.50US). The Vélib' web site will be more user-friendly making it easier to subscribe for all levels, from daily to annuals, online and for users to find locations to activate memberships and download maps. With almost 100,000,000 Vélib' trips since July 15, 2007 this programs success has been priceless.

North America: Bike-sharing wakes up from a long winter's nap

With in the next week, both Montréal' s bIXI and Minneapolis' Nice Ride will be back on the streets after hibernating for the winter. Nice Ride plans on starting its second season on April 11 with eight new stations in north Minneapolis and plans to have 100 stations this summer to include service in downtown St. Paul. They are offering a great way to shake off the cold Minnesota snow with a special limited time $40 annual subscription sale that is $20 off the regular price . bIXI will open its 400 stations in Montréal on April 15. The last few weeks have seen the stations back in places all over their service area. Five new stations are planned for an expansion of the system into Westmount this season. Les Montréaleurs are ready to roll. Capital Bikeshare, however, has beaten winter by rolling throughout the cold months creating scores of winter weather warriors.

images: Bike-sharing Blog, Nice Ride, and bIXI

Russell Meddin bikesharephiladelphia.org

First Japanese Bike-sharing is JCDecaux Cyclocity

Japan's first big bike-sharing system is to be a JCDecaux Cyclocity system like the Vélib' in Paris. Toyama, Japan just signed an agreement for a small 150 bike and 15 station system according to BusinessWire. The system is to start March 2010. This will be JCDecaux's second bike-sharing system outside of Europe, the other is Brisbane, Australia. We all have been waiting for Japan to start pedaling with the rest of the bike-sharing world.

Update: CyclOcity Toyama started March 20, 2010.

image: Toyama Tourist Board

Russell Meddin bikesharephiladelphia.org

Public Health Benefits of Bike-sharing

Recently, the City of Paris gave out medals to the most prolific users of Vélib’ since the system began on July 15, 2007. The “gold medal” was awarded to William, a 40 year old with 3,813 trips. Peter, another 40 year old with 3,774 trips of pedaling, won the silver medal and Thierry, the youngster at 29, snagged the bronze with 3,692 trips on Paris’ grey bikes. To achieve this quantity of trips, the medalists were using Vélib’ at least 5 times each day.

These individuals exemplify the health benefits of bike-sharing and of cycling in general. The men are now in great physical shape. William lost 15 pounds pushing pedals in Paris. (Try to say that ten times fast.

Their accomplishment also points to the healthiness of particular bike-sharing programs. A key factor in a healthy system is the number of usages of bikes per day. Paris, with the help of these guys, has usages 5 to 7 times a day. Lyon averages 7 times a day. Montréal within a few weeks of its launch had 3.5 usages a day. Barcelona tops all with an average of 10 usages per bike per day with spikes of 20 per day on beautiful beach days!

source and image: Velib et Moi - Le Blog

Russell Meddin bikesharephiladelphia.org

Vélib' Rides into Two Years in the Bike-sharing World

In Paris today, the second anniversary of bike-sharing with Vélib' was celebrated. On 15 July 2007, the system started with 1000 bikes in 750 stations and kept its promise of having 20,000 bikes in 1,450 stations by the end of the year. It greets its second anniversary with 24,000 bikes and 1800 stations serving Paris and its immediate suburbs. With 54,000,000 usages in two years, Vélib’ is the gold standard in Public Use Bicycles. On average, during the last two years, every day 9500 single or seven day subscriptions were sold from the stations on the street.

image: francesoir.fr

Russell Meddin bikesharephiladelphia.org