Nantes rolls out France's first long-term bike rental scheme
The western French city of Nantes is the first in the country to offer its residents the chance to rent out public bikes for anything from a month to a year.
Mon Bicloo is the first bike rental scheme of its kind in France, as up to now all public cycle services in l’Héxagone allowed users to rent out two-wheelers for one single journey.
A total of 1,000 self-service bikes were made available to the public on Thursday at Carré Feydeau shopping mall in the city of Nantes in France’s Pays de Loire region.
Depending on the time, tariffs and conditions chosen, the medium term rental costs range from €20 to €150 per month to between €120 and €1,080 for the year.
The bikes are a mix of classis cycles, electrically assisted, foldable, cargo carriers and bikes adapted to people with reduced mobility.
Routine maintenance is included in the price, as well as a padlock.
A Maison Bicloo has already opened at the launch spot in Nantes, where users can take in their bike for repair, to make new bookings and try out different models. There will also be a mobile Bicloo to offer the cycle services to all 24 municipalities in Nantes.
By 2020, the fleet will be doubled and three quarters will be electric models.
"We believe that cycling must become a means of transport in its own right," Johanna Rolland, president of Nantes Métropole, told French daily 20 Minutes.
“With this new offering, we want to get more people on board as cyclists. It will allow users to for example test a model before buying their own."
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Mon Bicloo is the first bike rental scheme of its kind in France, as up to now all public cycle services in l’Héxagone allowed users to rent out two-wheelers for one single journey.
A total of 1,000 self-service bikes were made available to the public on Thursday at Carré Feydeau shopping mall in the city of Nantes in France’s Pays de Loire region.
Depending on the time, tariffs and conditions chosen, the medium term rental costs range from €20 to €150 per month to between €120 and €1,080 for the year.
The bikes are a mix of classis cycles, electrically assisted, foldable, cargo carriers and bikes adapted to people with reduced mobility.
Routine maintenance is included in the price, as well as a padlock.
A Maison Bicloo has already opened at the launch spot in Nantes, where users can take in their bike for repair, to make new bookings and try out different models. There will also be a mobile Bicloo to offer the cycle services to all 24 municipalities in Nantes.
By 2020, the fleet will be doubled and three quarters will be electric models.
"We believe that cycling must become a means of transport in its own right," Johanna Rolland, president of Nantes Métropole, told French daily 20 Minutes.
“With this new offering, we want to get more people on board as cyclists. It will allow users to for example test a model before buying their own."
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