Paris launches world’s largest bike sharing system

How popular is Paris’ recently launched bike sharing program, Velib (short for velo libre, “free bike”), after one week? 45,000-trips-a-day’ popular, and that’s just the beginning.

The basic facts:
– 10,000 bikes, 20,000 by the end of 2007
– 300 stations, 900 by the end of 2007
– 17,000 annual passes sold after one week
– 45,000 trips/day, with a goal of 250,000 trips/day
– $40/29 euros for an annual pass
– $1.40/1 euro for a half-hour trip, and the price increases over time to encourage bike circulation.
– Stolen bikes during a rental period cost $207/150 euros to replace, but only $48/35 euros if reported to the police.

Velib is also a public-private partnership, the best kind to initiate innovation and to ensure its long-term success. Read more about it in the LA Times, where as one rider put it so well, “It’s healthier and the weather is beautiful.”

More bike sharing programs can be found in Barcelona, Spain; Geneva and Stockholm, Switzerland; Oslo, Norway; Copenhagen, Denmark; Lyon, France (the model for Paris’ program); Vienna, Austria…

Image source: Carnotzet

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