A big success for the bike-sharing program in Lyon

Deployed in 2005, Vélo’v’s self-service bikes are now part of daily life for the residents of Lyon, who use them more and more.

The year 2022 also ended with a new record, with over 10.5 million rentals recorded. For comparison, there were 9.1 million in 2021, which was already a record at the time. This new performance brings the total number of rentals since the service’s launch in 2005 to 130 million.

The 16% increase in rentals is accompanied by a growth in the number of long-term subscribers. They were nearly 84,000 at the end of December, a 10% increase compared to the previous year. Meanwhile, many residents of Lyon also use the service intermittently, as evidenced by the 610,000 short-term tickets issued last year.

Up to 11 rotations per day

In Lyon, JC Decaux manages the self-service bikes through its subsidiary Cyclocity. Operating throughout the metropolitan area, the company has 5,000 bikes and 428 stations. On average, its bikes were rented 6.5 times per day in 2022. During the best days, there were up to 11 rotations daily.

“This record of rentals for the Vélo’v service combined with a 12% increase in overall bicycle traffic in 2022 across the Lyon metropolitan territory confirms the momentum of cycling, which has now become a full-fledged means of transportation for more and more of our residents,” said Fabien Bagnon, Vice-President of the Lyon Metropolitan Area in charge of mobility (EELV). “This is a profound evolution that the Metropolitan Area supports by developing both its cycling infrastructure, notably with the development of the 12 Lyonnais routes, 7 of which will be under construction in 2023, and its services: Freevélov, e-Vélov’, secure parking, self-repair workshops.”

Without being a seer, one can imagine that this positive trend will continue in the coming months. Especially since Cyclocity plans to launch a new commercial offer in February: free rentable batteries for 2 months for those subscribing to the e-Vélo’V plan (subscription for using electric assist bikes). This represents a gift worth €14.

Read also: Cycling practice increased by 11% in 2022