Smoove operator for 10-year-old Vélib' scheme

Paris's Vélib' bicycle rental scheme is set for big changes from next year, when the contract is taken over by Montpellier-based bike-sharing company Smoove.

Current service providers JCDecaux is reportedly considering what will happen to its 20,000 Vélib' bicycles that are on the streets of the capital once its deal ends. While bikes that are too badly damaged to repair will be recycled into cans, or shopping trolleys, some may be reconditioned for use in other cities.

JCDecaux has held the contract to supply Vélib' bikes and stations since the service was launched in 2007. The new €600million deal with rivals Smoove will run from 2018 to 2032.

For users, the new contract means new stations in more areas of the city, and new 'Smoovengo' bicycles, of which a third will be electric and will offer Wifi, Smoove said. Temporary bike stations will also be set up for certain large-scale events, such as music festivals Solidays and Rock-en-Seine.

The bikes will have integrated locking cables in the handle bar and a GPS-tracking system. Smoove said that the updated bicycles will cut vandalism from its current 70% level to just 15%.

The two companies are working to run a 'well-orchestrated' handover next year, Smoove's CEO Laurent Mercat told Le Parisien. The company says 50% of its stations will be operational in January, while JCDecaux will remove its 1,200 stations in concert with the introduction of the new ones.

Smoovengo bikes are a common sight in French cities Montpellier, Clermont-Ferrand, and Strasbourg, as well as international locations such as Helsinki, Moscow, Chicago, Vancouver, and Bangkok.