SNCF installs self-service scooters at train station

Two terminals have been installed on the forecourt of the RER D station at Saint-Denis, with SNCF workers currently using the scooters (which are known in French as ‘trottinettes’, and are manual 'push scooters', rather than bikes with engines) as test ‘guinea pigs’ for the scheme.

Should it be successful, the service at Saint-Denis will open to the public from 28 August, with users able to use a mobile app to reserve a scooter in advance if they wish.

The scheme has been financially supported by SNCF Gares & Connexions, and aims to make travellers’ journeys easier when they leave the station.

According to Laurent Russier, mayor of Saint-Denis, scooters have a major advantage over pushbikes, in that riders can use them on pedestrian pavements rather than on main roads.

Should the scheme prove a public success, more scooter terminals are expected, including at La Plaine-Stade de France, with plans to build as many as 50 to 100 terminals in train stations across the Ile-de-France region.