Inspired by the recent post on Montreal’s roll out of a high tech, public bike rental fleet, I’ve come across this example of successful program in Lyon.
Flickr contributor beppovox’s road these bikes and had the following to say:
“Rates are quite low, more or less around 1€ per hour.”
“The first 30 minutes are free - to encourage small commuting and the rotation of the bikes at the numerous stations.”
“Bikes are really heavy but the ride is pretty smooth, they have two drum brakes, 3 internal gear, lights and a small lock.”
Have you run across a similar program while traveling in the US or abroad? What experience have you had with public bike rental as an alternative means of transportation?
Uploaded by beppovox | more from the Bike Hugger Photostream.
I am pretty sure that these bikes are the same ones used by the Velib scheme in Paris. Certainly they are supported by the same commercial partner (JCDecaux).
Copenhagenize have a quite lovely video about Velib - http://www.copenhagenize.com/2008/05/vlib-le-film.html
We’ve covered Velib [here](http://bikehugger.com/tag/velib).