Troyes: Le Marcel à Vélo opens new stations

The Le Marcel à Vélo self-service bike rental service is welcoming new stations and new bikes in Troyes and its suburbs.

Is there a great story between bicycles and the Aube department? That’s at least what the self-service rental service “Le Marcel à Vélo” aims to evoke, named after Marcel Bidot, a cyclist in the 1930s, technical director of the French Team, and organizer of the Paris-Troyes race. It’s unknown if this contributed to the service’s fame, but its success is such that an expansion is announced.

9 new stations and 3 additional municipalities

“Le Marcel à Vélo has launched dynamically and actively across our territory” declared Mayor François Baroin, “the numbers exceeded our expectations. The goal, with this development, is to provide access to bikes for daily commuting.”

Thus, the metropolitan area increases from 12 to 21 stations of self-service bikes. They now include three new municipalities: St Julien les Villas, St André les Vergers, and Pont-Ste-Marie. These join Troyes, La-Chapelle-Saint-Luc, Les Noës-près-Troyes, and Sainte-Savine.

To handle the increased demand, Le Marcel à Vélo is adding 30 new bikes, called “Titibike X2”, bringing the total to 80. These bikes are electric-assisted, offering over 50 km of autonomy, compared to 25 km for the previous models. The French company Ecovélo, already present in Niort, Biarritz, and Agen, designs the bikes and manages the service.

Le Marcel à Vélo in Troyes, how does it work?

The Troyes electric bikes are solely available at stations, and must be returned to stations. They enable connecting key points in Troyes and its surroundings within short-term rentals. To create an account, you need to use the “Le Marcel à Vélo” app or the official website page.

Next, to rent a bike, simply use the app, send an SMS, or pay with the linked bank card. When you return the bike to a station, the trip is completed.

Pricing varies depending on usage. Subscription options are available, granting 20 free minutes per ride:

• Weekly: €4
• Monthly: €7
• Annual: €40

These rates are halved for job seekers, under 26s, and those aged 65 and over. For free use or after the free 20 minutes, the cost is €0.05 per minute.

Also read: Dott scooters and bikes arrive in Grenoble