Vélib’: JCDecaux reacts!

JCDecaux, the number one outdoor advertising company worldwide and number one in self-service bike rental scheme, is surprised by the many reports in the printed press and broadcast media regarding the outcome of the Vélib’ competitive tender process, which is still ongoing. JCDecaux’s foremost concern is for the future of its outstanding employees who provide this service.
 
JCDecaux understands the protest from employees who work for the Vélib’ service, the world’s largest self-service bike rental scheme. Together they have made the scheme an unrivalled success, with a user satisfaction rate of over 90% and more than 300,000 subscribers. JCDecaux shares in its employees’ legitimate concerns, which they made public in response to the press reports.
 
Since the start of the tender process on 1 July 2016, the JCDecaux/RATP/SNCF partnership has repeatedly contacted the Autolib’ Vélib’ Métropole association to reiterate the importance of retaining its employees; this is the partnership’s main priority. Following the demonstration by 82% of employees on Tuesday and the last Paris City Council meeting, where the future of Vélib’ employees and their families was a key issue under discussion, JCDecaux will do all it can to ensure the new operator - whoever it may be - takes on all 315 employees, whose training, operational excellence and motivation were unanimously praised by speakers at the Paris City Council meeting on Tuesday, and who have enabled Vélib’ to become a unique scheme globally.

Ten years after JCDecaux conceptualised Vélib’, the JCDecaux/RATP/SNCF partnership is offering an extremely innovative and ambitious scheme that will not only maintain existing jobs, but will also create new ones.

The highlights and innovations in this proposal cover all aspects of the bikes and the service itself:

The Bike:

• DESIGN: A lighter, original, iconic bike designed by Philippe Starck, with both traditional and electric versions available,
• PATENTS: Nine patents have been registered,
• SAFETY: special lights project a beam onto the ground indicating a safe area to protect riders from other vehicles, the gear and brake cables - essential safety components - are specially protected and completely inaccessible,
• THEFT/VANDALISM: A multi-point security system: new code-based bike locks with integrated Neiman keys; a new, world exclusive tamper-resistant attachment solution; a system that renders the bikes unusable and tracks their location in case of misuse; a user command and identification system protected in the cast iron docking point rather than on the bike itself; shock sensors placed in all attachments. 

The Service:

• EMPLOYMENT: 315 employees, 90% of whom work full-time on permanent contracts, will be retained with current levels of pay and benefits (27 labour agreements have been signed with employee organisations since 2007, 20 of which unanimously), and additional workers will be recruited,
• CUSTOMER SERVICE: The in-house customer relations centre, which won the “Customer Service of the Year” award in 2016 and 2017, will remain in Paris,
• THE PARTNERSHIP: RATP, SNCF and JCDecaux have joined forces to enhance the interconnection between Vélib’ and the Paris region’s major transport systems,
• TRANSITION: Existing docking stations will be reused and modernised, with no ground work required, ensuring a rapid, secure transition with no service interruption for users,
• SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: A completely new green fleet of service vehicles. Electric bikes for maintenance employees. A green project that limits environmental impacts as much as possible,
• OPERATION: Trained and experienced in-house teams organised to ensure the availability, quality and security of the service provided,
• USER EXPERIENCE: Bikes can be hired using a new smartphone app, which will “control” the Vélib’ service as well as allowing users the ability to set their own preferences on electric bikes,
• CAPACITY MANAGEMENT: At the busiest docking stations, users will be able to return their bike even when they are full.

The objective of the JCDecaux/RATP/SNCF partnership is clearly to propose the best solution across all areas of the service while seamlessly integrating social and environmental standards. Its proposal puts forward the best possible price given the challenges of providing an efficient, safe, high-quality service as well as experienced employees necessary for ensuring the new Vélib’ service functions correctly, so it can remain the world’s leading self-service bike rental scheme.