JCDecaux celebrates 10 years of its self-service bikes, Bicikelj, in Ljubljana, Slovenia

JCDecaux SA (Euronext Paris: DEC), the number one outdoor advertising company worldwide and self-service bike pioneer, announces today that its Slovenian joint-venture company with Ankunder (Graz) and Efuso (Vienna), Europlakat, is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its self-service bike rental scheme, Bicikelj, in Ljubljana, the capital city of Slovenia (nearly 300,000 inhabitants). Bicikelj is the result of a successful private-public partnership between the City of Ljubljana and Europlakat. In 2011, the project’s partners signed a long-term contract for the self-service bike system, financed through advertising.
 From day one, the Bicikelj bikes were popular among residents and visitors to Ljubljana. In the past 10 years, over 217,000 people have taken nearly 8 million rides. The number of annual subscriptions continues to grow with over 52,500 subscribers – showing that over 17% of Ljubljana’s population are riding Bicikelj bikes on a regular basis. Bicikelj has continued to operate throughout the Covid-19 pandemic ensuring that those making essential journey have access to the scheme and taking pressure off other public transport services.

To support the success of Bicikelj, the number of stations and bikes in the scheme has more than doubled over the years. Starting with 30 stations and 300 bikes in 2011, there are now 73 stations with 730 bikes, each one of which is rented an average of 8 times a day. Another expansion will take place in the following weeks and months so there will be over 80 stations in the Bicikelj network by the end of the year. In addition to this expansion, the user experience has also been enhanced by the recent software upgrade and introduction of a mobile application, Bicikelj Official. These advancements will make it even more convenient and straightforward to manage the user account, rent the bikes, check availability and give a rate at the end of the trip.

Bicikelj has contributed to the uptake of cycling in the city, which has been listed in the top 20 most bicycle-friendly cities since 2015, according to the Copenhagenize Index.  
 Zoran Janković, Mayor of City of Ljubljana, said: "I am delighted that Ljubljana is a cycle-friendly city, in which the Bicikelj system has made an important contribution. Congratulations on 10 very successful years! At the City of Ljubljana, we are aware that cycling is the most environmentally and health-friendly form of mobility, so we are constantly updating our cycling infrastructure, ensuring that cycling is even safer and more pleasant. The improvement that we have made has been acknowledged by the numerous awards we have received for our achievements in sustainable mobility. Since 2015 we have been ranked three times in a row on the list of 20 cycle-friendly cities the Copenhagenize Index. The biggest recognition is, in fact, the increase in cycling routes and the satisfaction of citizens. I am looking forward to sharing these achievements with the participants in the World Cycling Conference Velo-City 2022, which we will host in Ljubljana from 14 to 17 June next year.”

Jean-François Decaux, Co-Chief Executive Officer of JCDecaux, said: “10 years ago, Ljubljana became the first city in Central Europe to provide residents and tourists with self-service bikes financed through advertising on street furniture. I am very proud to celebrate the success of Bicikelj today, which is one of our most efficient schemes in the world with a daily rotation of 8. Over the past decade, the number of stations and bikes has more than doubled, showing the inhabitants and visitors’ attachment to our service. As a pioneer and leader in self-service bikes around the world, with more than 25,000 bikes in 13 countries, JCDecaux contributes to the democratisation of soft mobility. With continuous innovation in mobility and mobile applications, the Group is committed to sustainably improving the quality of city life.”