Cycling News

Paris to get 14,000 free bikes

Outdoor advertising firm JCDecaux has won the contract to supply Paris with bikes for a new and free city-wide bicycle hire service. The company already operates Cyclocity pay-per-ride cycle hire schemes in Lyon and Brussels

The contract with Paris City Hall will see JCDecaux's Somupi unit establish a free bicycle hire service with 14,100 bikes in place by the summer.

JCDecaux bit a rival bid from Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings Inc. Clear Channel had formed a consortium with Electricite de France, France Telecom and Vinci Park.

JCDecaux operate Lyon's successful Cyclocity rental scheme, a cycle hire service originally called Vélo’V and started in May 2005.

The Cyclocity bikes were ridden almost 12 million kms in 2006 - that's 5,000 kms per bicycle. There were 5.5 million rentals during the year, an average of 15,000 rentals per day with peaks that exceeded 30,000 during exceptional events such as Lyon's Festival of Music. ??Cyclocity schemes are also operated in Marseille, Aix en-Provence and Brussels.

Published Tuesday 30 January 2007