Zity, it’s over!

With disappointing results and poorly maintained vehicles, Zity, the car-sharing subsidiary of the Renault Group, wisely chooses to throw in the towel.

Zity by Mobilize, a 100% electric stationless car-sharing service, was launched with great fanfare in May 2020 in Paris, and the initial fleet of Renault Zoe was gradually replaced by gleaming Dacia Spring models. The service consisted of making cars available by the minute, allowing users to pick up and drop off the vehicles at any public parking spot in Paris, Issy-les-Moulineaux, Boulogne-Billancourt, and Vanves.

At the beginning of the year, the Renault Group, through its new mobility subsidiary Mobilize, became a 100% shareholder of Zity, acquiring the shares held by the Spanish group Ferrovial.

Less than four years after its launch, despite having 100,000 subscribers, the mood is no longer festive. According to the company, the main issue has been the significant and repeated damage to the fleet, which has decreased both the availability of the service and, more importantly, the perceived quality by users. Furthermore, seeing Dacia Spring vehicles, at best completely neglected and at worst dilapidated, certainly did little to enhance the model’s reputation!

Ultimately, Zity has not achieved more success in Paris than the Autolib’ service of Vincent Bolloré, which disappeared from the urban landscape in 2018 after years of struggle. On January 15th, the service will be discontinued, and customers will be refunded for their remaining credits. However, this is not a death blow, as Mobilize has decided to maintain its offer in other cities where Zity currently operates: Lyon, Milan, and Madrid, where it is experiencing real success.

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