Skip to main content

Vélib Bikes | A firsthand experience of Paris' Bike Sharing Scheme

Micro-mobility has always fascinated me. Back in April 2019, I test rode various Yulus which left me amazed by the concept and the ease with which I could get across town (relatively) carbon-free and cost effectively. When I was in Stockholm on an exchange trip in late 2019, I couldn't help myself but try out Bird and Lime scooters despite it costing quite a bomb. Though I can't quite remember the exact amount I paid but I remember it being upwards of 50 kronas/5 euros/400 Indian Rupees for a short 10-15 minute ride; something that was very expensive considering that I had a public transport card that allowed me to take unlimited trips across the city and to most of suburbs an hour or two away.

A Vélib stand a stone's throw away from
the Eiffel Tower

While Bangalore has cheap modes of transport to get around the city, be it the buses, auto-rickshaws, cabs the metro or even Yulus and Bounces, one cannot say the same about cities in Europe. A single use ticket in Stockholm costs around 45 krona/5 euros/450 Indian Rupees if my memory serves me right. A single use ticket in Paris costs 1.90 euros while in NYC it is 2.75 USD. Even in Le Havre, the town that I live in, a single use tram/bus ticket costs north of 1.5 euros which makes travelling affordable although one would consider walking if it is under 3-4 stops. As a long time cyclist, the thought of walking bores me but neither is practical to take my bike everywhere. Further, that is not an option when I visit other cities, and I am sure it is the same for others too. During my recent trip to Paris, my friends and I decided to bike around the city to take advantage of not only Paris having no tourists owing to visa and travel restrictions but also use their famed Vélib bikes.

The bikes are easy to locate and one does not need to look too far to spot a Vélib bike stand. You can choose from an e-bike and a mechanical bike, both of which are easy to use by anyone who knows how to ride a bike. The most attractive aspect of Vélib bikes, besides its practicality, is the price point at which it operates. We bought a day pass for 5 euros and could use the bike for 30 minutes at a stretch, unlimited number of times, at no additional cost. As we were after all students travelling on a budget, we exploited the system by docking our bikes every 30 minutes and restarting our rides to ensure we do not get charged the 1-2 euros per 30 minutes depending on how long you use it for. When you're biking for the entire day, those 1-2 euros would've added up! As a micro-mobility enthusiast, I could not resist trying the e-bikes, albeit sparingly as it cost 1 euro for 30 minutes despite having the pass. All in all, we spent a grand total of 7 euros to get around Paris and cover a total distance of 30 km over the course of the entire day; the low mileage was because we took breaks soaking in the sights, meeting a friend for a long lunch, a bit of shopping and more. Considering that we rode along the Seine, viewed the Louvre, visited the Eiffel Tower and Champs-Elysées, navigated through the infamous roundabout at the Arc de Triomphe, stocked up on Indian supplies at the Gare du Nord area, visited a friend's apartment, biked (almost) all the way up to the Sacre-Couer and then finally to our flixbus station in the outskirts of the city, I'd say that it was money well spent. Doing the same thing using the metro and other public transport would have cost us at least double (if not triple) the amount, along with it being more unsafe considering that social distancing and other COVID protocols (except the wearing of masks) are not followed in public transport. 

Some tips and pointers

  • Ensure your phone is well charged to locate Vélib bike stands. All bikes come equipped with a small pouch with a transparent screen in which you can put your to navigate across town/to a bike stand.
  • Look out for bikes with a reversed seat. This is an informal rule that indicates that the bike has an issue; do not try to unlock that bike and don't forget to turn the seat of a bike you have used if you think it has an issue that makes it unsafe or unusable.
    AVOID these bikes (point #2)

  • Respect traffic rules and try and stick to biking lanes as much as possible (more rules below).
  • A 300 euro (100% refundable) hold will be placed on your credit/debit card. Account for that!
  • Check your bike's chain and brakes before unlocking it (especially for e-bikes which are going to cost you). My e-bike's chain was broken and I did not notice but I was thankfully not charged as I docked it within 20-30 seconds.
  • Link your Vélib account to your Navigo pass if you have one. I was in Paris just for the day so I didn't buy a Navigo pass and I'm not sure how to link it but it is more convenient to unlock a bike.
  • Once you buy your Vélib day/week/month pass, save the code and your password. You will need it every time you start a ride.
  • Wear a helmet; Paris has some wild drivers and this is coming from someone who lived the first 18-19 years of his life in Bangalore!

Useful rules to keep in mind - general and France specific

Learn the basic traffic rules!

  • Anyone to your right has priority (prioritè à droite) except if you are entering a roundabout that is marked with a roundabout sign (in which case, anyone inside the roundabout has priority over you). Pro tip: the Arc de Triomphe roundabout is NOT a roundabout, priorité à droite applies even if you are inside the roundabout so give way to anyone entering! 
  • Look for give way signs with a cycle and an arrow at traffic lights. If the arrow corresponds to the direction you are travelling, you can legally jump the signal provided you won't be obstructing traffic from any direction. 
  • Footpaths are for pedestrians, not bikers; expect to be told told off by the locals if you are caught riding on a footpath.
  • Biking traffic has increased significantly since COVID-19 which means that the police are keeping a stern-er eye on bikers. Bikers have been fined for wearing earphones and not having their lights on when it gets dark. All bike users below the age of 12 years have to wear helmets irrespective of whether they are riding or are pillions!
  • Don't stop on a bike lane (or even the road for that matter!) unless you are at a signal, pedestrian crossing or yielding way to someone who has priority!

    • A couple of pictures from the Vélib biking trip!

    Enjoying a warm glass of mulled wine
    under the Eiffel Tower - perfect for the -1°C
      weather. Yes, we cycled in     -1°C for the first
    two hours!


    The Arc de Triomphe where
     priorité à droite applies!

    View of the Louvre

    And lastly, me on the Vélib (unseen)
    under the Eiffel Tower

    Labels:
    Location: Paris, France

    Comments

    Post a Comment

    Popular posts from this blog

    The Great Omani Coastal Route

    Route 15 : Muscat-Nizwa The parents, seemingly forever, had been planning a trip to Oman. Why Oman? Well, that’s a question I asked myself too. My dad, in the 90s, spent close to a decade in the UAE but barring a work trip, had never visited Oman. Fast forward to the 21 st   century, countless Oman Air flights from India to Europe later, he found himself stranded in Muscat. A ‘technical difficulty’ they said. He visited the Sultan Qaboos Mosque but didn’t get to see much more – it was only a 24-hour layover. However, the constant propaganda he was subjected to via the in-flight entertainment, and the cabin crew he made conversation with, convinced him that the country has a lot to offer. A friend from the UAE, who spoke highly of Oman, apparently also played a role.     The parents had their mind set on Oman. The stars aligned and clubbing together a bunch of bank holidays in India, they decided on visiting in April. Unfortunately, or fortunately (the jury is still out), ...
    1 comment
    Read more

    Sustainable Bitcoin Mining

    Source Bitcoin mining has become popular amongst people with large data processors and also fintech-geeks who are interested in the world of mining. Mining is at times not very profitable due to the increase in complexity of problems given to miners (as more and more Bitcoins are mined) and electricity and other expensive overheads. According to NZ Herald , "Bitcoin mining uses so much energy that it could cause blackouts". The repercussions due to this is that an American city known as Platssburgh has already banned cryptocurrency mining for 18 months and Iceland believes that more energy will be used to mine Bitcoin rather than power their houses this year! The need for a sustainable model for mining is prevalent. With the introduction of cloud mining, many "non-techy" users have been able to mine Bitcoins by buying Hash power from various companies and making them mine Bitcoins for you. All you need to do is invest a particular amount and leave the rest of...
    Post a Comment
    Read more

    Club Penguin

    Who likes playing computer games? If you do play this awesome game called Club Penguin. What You Can Do On Club Penguin You can play many games and earn coins. Buy things at the gift shop. It is very safe to play on club penguin. If you have any friends on club penguin, you can meet them online. You do not have to give your real name. You have to give a penguin name. Eg. my name on club penguin is "Desipen". Link Click here to visit their website.
    5 comments
    Read more

    Life Updates - 2020 (Part 1 of 2)

    You may remember my post from about two years ago when I wrote a rather detailed essay on my personal life. The aim of this post is similar; provide an update on what I have been up to, life lessons, challenges, what my future is, and what I envisage it to be. This post is not going to be an extended personal statement that one would generally see me writing for college but includes a more personal touch and less about specific and individual achievements of mine over the last two years. Certain exceptions do exist. The article is going to be divided into two parts. This one will talk about school, college and life in general. It is more of a report if I can call it that. The second article will be about what I have learnt in the last two years. It is a bit philosophical, so I figured that not as many people might be interested in reading it.  School In 2018, I changed schools and ended up studying at Mallya Aditi International School, which, despite its ups and do...
    1 comment
    Read more

    Cake Models

    My sister taught me how to make cake models. It is very easy. If you want to learn how to make it continue reading my blog. Materials required: 1/4 mug water Powder 2 Bowls cloth clay Kumkum    Newspaper Powder Make the clay any shape you want. (remember that is going to be the shape of your cake). Make it flat at the bottom so that it can stand well. Take the kumkum and powder and mix well. Make sure it is not too thick or not too watery. Spread the mixture on the cake and design the cake however you want. You can experiment by using different things to change the colours.
    3 comments
    Read more

    Ather Energy - Electric Scooters that compete with Aprilias and Vespas

    Ather Energy, a Bengaluru based start up created by former IITians finally unveiled their electric scooters - Ather 340 and the Ather 450. Priced slightly on the higher side at INR 1.09 L and 1.24L (on road - Bengaluru) including the FAME subsidy and all taxes, the scooters are exciting and a must try for scooter buyers who do not mind shelling out a little more money than a mid-range scooter would cost and do not mind using it primarily for short distance commutes. Ather 450 Their showroom is located on 100ft Road in Indiranagar. You can visit them at any time and their staff is extremely accomadating and will help you with any queries that you may have. If there is not too much of a crowd, they will allow you to take a test ride too. Ather opened their showroom today (8th, June, 2018). I visited them and was mighty pleased with what they were doing. In an interesting conversation with Mr. Swapnil Jain , the humble and down to earth Co-Founder and CTO, I learnt a lot abo...
    Post a Comment
    Read more

    The concept of privilege and how I was blind to it

    This is an essay that  I  wrote as part of my Ashoka University application process. The reason for uploading it is that the concept of privilege that I write about, has impacted me and moulded my political ideology. Do give it a read, it may make you reconsider your opinions too! Write about an experience from your past, which has significantly shaped you as a person and your perspective(s) on life. Elaborate upon the experience, your personal engagement with it, and the manner in which it has changed you. Provide other relevant details to help us better understand you.   (Maximum Word Limit - 450 words)   *   I am born into a family of privilege, and until I undertook courses on sociology and political science, I was blind to it. I reaped the benefits of being privileged – I am a Hindu, male whose family could afford my education and three square meals a day. I have been extensively educated in good private schools, and the opportunity to avail outs...
    5 comments
    Read more