Vélo’v® welcomed by more than 9 out of every 10 users

Paris, June 5, 2006 - JCDecaux (Euronext Paris: DEC), the number one outdoor advertising company in Europe and Asia-Pacific, and number two worldwide, has today published the findings of the first survey into “how users perceive Vélo’v”. The research surveyed 500 people in the City of Lyon and was carried out by the BVA market research institute in May. Vélo’v was launched in Lyons and Villeurbanne on May 19, 2005 by JCDecaux, the world leader in the growing self-service bicycle hire market.

• Key findings include:
• Users’ profile: young city-dwellers in active employment
• 66% of the people who use Vélo’v® are between the ages of 18 and 34. More than 60% are in active employment and more than a third are students.
• Primarily residents of Lyons itself, the respondents are regular users of public transport and their travelling habits confirm the intermodality of the concept.
• Long-standing, regular and varied use
• The majority of the users are loyal customers and most of them (41%) have been using Vélo’v® regularly for more than 8 months.
• The reasons for using this self-hire service are varied: the principal reason given is travelling from home to work but cycling for pleasure or in pursuit of other leisure activities is also a frequent motive.
• The service is used at regular intervals: several times a week.
• Demanding yet satisfied users, are ambassadors for Vélo’v®
• The users of Vélo’v® express a very high degree of satisfaction overall with the service, giving it an average mark of 7.7 out of 10.
• The different aspects of using the service (cost, payment method, ease of use, subscription period) all enjoy high satisfaction rates however; the survey also highlights a number of areas for improvement, notably the availability of the bicycles and the signs identifying the cycle rack locations.

• These points have already been addressed by JCDecaux which, since the survey was carried out, has brought new bicycles into service, as provided for in the initial deployment system: by mid-July, 3,000 bicycles will be available against 2,000 at the beginning of May. The number of rack locations will also be increased from 173 to 243 by the end of the summer. Lastly, the bicycle rack signage system is also being improved with the introduction of “Cyclo Dispo” (or “Bike Availability”) screens displaying in real time the number of available bicycles and free spaces in neighbouring cycle racks.
• One point worth noting: word-of-mouth promotion seems to work well for this service considering that Vélo’v® enjoys a recommendation rate of almost 90%.

• A fully-fledged means of transport facilitating urban travel, Vélo’v® has a positive impact on travelling within the city with that more than half of the users go into the city more often as a result. This enhances urban life and generates greater commercial activity for this city however, the impact has yet to be measured. At the time of their interview, 55% of respondents stated that they use their cars less frequently.
• Vélo’v®’s extremely positive image has had a direct impact on the Greater Lyons region
• More than 9 people out of 10 consider Vélo’v® to be a very good initiative.
• This extremely positive response enhances the image of the city itself and helps to create a better perception of the quality of urban life with a host of related positive effects: a more attractive city, less pollution, more healthy lifestyle, etc.

Jean-Charles Decaux, Chairman of the JCDecaux Executive Board, made the following statement: “With Cyclocity®, christened Vélo’v® by the Greater Lyons area, JCDecaux has revolutionized individual public transport. This user survey reveals that JCDecaux’s entirely integrated service has become a vital new link in the chain of mobility. As the figures demonstrate, city-dwellers are re-thinking their individual travelling strategies and perception of urban areas. In this way, JCDecaux has helped to improve the quality of urban life, a fact that naturally helps to enhance the image of the Greater Lyons area. We are proud to have demonstrated, with the creation of this innovative activity, the unique know-how and expertise of our people, particularly the teams responsible for its upkeep and maintenance. Faced with the unexpected intensity of the success enjoyed by Vélo’v®, they are providing users with a high-quality service.”