The inexpensive shared-bicycles for public transport movement started in Paris with Velib', which offered nearly-free short rides in the city. The shared-bike movement is growing and elaborating fast, and now includes other bike systems, and lots of shared electric scooters.

Velib' Métropole

Velib' Métropole is Paris's system of traditional pedal-powered and electric-assisted bikes introduced to replace the earlier, pioneering, all-pedal-powered Velib' system.

The free or inexpensive Velib' (veh-LEEB) pedal bikes were a great success, and helped to relieve congestion on city streets and public transport. But being pedal-powered only, they were limited by hilly terrain and the physical requirements of biking. When adapted to electric-assist, the bikes' utility is greatly increased.

Véligo: Pedal + Electric-Assist Bicycles

The system now includes both Vélib' pedal-power-only and Véligo electric-assisted bikes.

The re-engineered 30%-electric-assisted Velib' Métropole bikes have a top speed of 25 kph (15.5 mph) and a range of 50 km (31 miles), making them practical for hilly routes and even longer distances.

The new system is being introduced not only in Paris, but also in 64 cities surrounding the capital.

Velib' Métropole is not a bicycle-rental system. Rather, it is a public-transport system meant to supplement other methods of public transport in Paris by making it easy for people to move around the city under their own power rather than by taking the Métro, city bus, taxi, or private car, or having to walk.

The goal is to keep as many bikes as possible available to as many people as possible, so they can use them for public transport, not for cruising or bicycle touring.

How to Use Them

After registering your personal and credit-card information on the Velib' website, via a Velib' smartphone app, or via the electronic kiosk at a bike station, you borrow a bicycle from any station and return it to any other station.

As an occasional user, you register and purchase a pass for 1 to 7 days. The 1-day pass, for example, costs 5€, allowing:

Minutes	Pedal	Electric
0-30	0€	1€
30-60	1€	2€
60+	1€/30min	2€/30min

Thus, on a pedal-powered bike, your first two rides of up to 30 minutes are free. For an electric-assisted bike, a ride of up to 30 minutes takes 1€ of your 5€ credit. Thus, a 1-day pass allows you up to five 30-minute rides in a day, or even more pedal-only rides; or a mix of pedal-only and electric-assisted rides.

For full information, visit the Velib' Métropole website.

Bike Laws & Bike Lanes

As a bicyclist, in France you are regarded as the driver of a road vehicle. You must obey all normal street and road signs and signals, all special bike signs and signals, and all traffic regulations. If you do, you will be treated as an equal by drivers of motor vehicles.

Paris has very many bike lanes. On smaller streets they may share the road with motor vehicles. On avenues and boulevards they may be completely separate, perhaps paralleling pedestrian walkways.

Sometimes bike lane traffic may travel in the direction opposite to that of the motor vehicle lanes.

Alternatives to Velib'

Paris's Velib' started the shared-bike movement, but technology startups have taken the challenge. Ofo, Jump by Uber and other companies also offer shared pick-up-here, leave-there bikes without a system of docking stations. Using a smartphone app similar to those used for ride-hailing systems (Uber, Lyft, etc.), you use the app to locate a bike, unlock it, ride to your destination, lock it again, then go your way.

Electric Scooters

Electric scooters (trottinettes), which can attain speeds of 24 kph (14.8 mph)—four times average walking speed—have proliferated in Paris. They offer fast, easy, inexpensive and ecologically-sensitive transportation, but there are strict rules for their use (ride in bike lanes, not on sidewalks, etc.). More...

Shared Motorcycles

For serious two-wheel electric-motorized travel, there's CityScoot and other motor-scooter share companies providing small electric motorcycles ("scooters") for short-term rental in Paris. These are not electric-assist bicycles, much less simple kids' scooters—they are real 50cc two-wheeled motor vehicles with a top speed of 45 km/h (28 mph) suitable for urban driving.

No driver's license is required if you were born before 1 January 1988.

Safety helmet and insurance are included in the rental rates. These motorbikes operate on the "free-floating" system: if you see one parked on the street, not in use, you can rent it on the spot using the smartphone app, and ride off. When you reach your destination within the "Blue Zone" of the company's operation (which includes all of Paris and some suburbs), just park it legally and walk away. More...

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