Record-breaking +21% global increase in self-service bike rentals operated by JCDecaux
JCDecaux SE (Euronext Paris: DEC), the number one outdoor advertising company worldwide and pioneer in self-service bike rental schemes, reported a very strong performance of its self-service bike schemes throughout the world in 2022, with total rentals up 21% compared with 2021. In France, the number of rentals has increased by 14% compared to last year.
Genuine solutions for urban mobility which complement public transport networks and walking, self-service bikes (SSB) and medium and long-term rentals contribute to the mitigation of climate change and the improvement of the quality of life in cities thanks to emission-free transport. More than 755 million journeys were completed using the self-service bikes operated by JCDecaux since their roll-out in Vienna (Austria) in 2003, and with a number of French cities returning to levels equivalent or higher than the pre-Covid period (notably in Toulouse with +2% in rentals in 2022 vs 2019 and +14% compared with 2021), other SSB systems reported exceptional performances in 2022.
Numerous records broken in Lyon in 2022
Annual rental record, record number of long-term subscribers and record monthly rentals… in 2022, Vélo’v was consistently popular among Lyon’s residents and visitors to the city:
- After a previous record set in 2021, Vélo’v reported more than 10.5 million rentals during 2022, up 16%. This represents another new record since the introduction of the service in 2005
- At the end of December 2022, close to 84,000 long-term subscribers were registered, up 10% compared with the previous year
- During 2022, Vélo’v also chalked up 10 new monthly rental records and reported a 25% increase in rentals over the full year compared with 2019
Global mobility solutions anchored in the daily lives of the people of Nantes
The bicloo service is particularly popular with users and provides a comprehensive offering which is part of an active local mobility policy that promotes the energy transition, public health and the quality of urban life.
- biclooPlus, the self-service bikes, returned to pre-Covid levels in 2022. Users were attracted by their ease of use, the freedom from parking and theft concerns and the fact that they complement public transport:
- 1,197,946 journeys were carried out using biclooPlus in 2022, i.e. +14% vs 2021
- 92% of users were satisfied with the biclooPlus service*
- monbicloo, the long-term bike rental service, continues to attract numerous city residents:
- 2,320 people rented a monbicloo bike in 2022
- 51% of users stated that they use their monbicloo bike for journeys that they would have made by car otherwise*
- 84% are considering purchasing their own bike after their rental
- 97% satisfaction levels with the monbicloo service*
- biclooPark, bike parking solutions, are still attracting new users based on the security needs of cyclists:
- the different biclooPark offerings attracted a cumulative total of 2,679 full-year subscriptions at the end of 2022, i.e. up +61% year-on-year
- 86% of users are satisfied with the biclooPark service*
*Internal survey carried out in July 2022 with bicloo subscribers – 2,608 respondents
Rental demand up sharply in several countries
In 2022, SSB systems outside France also reported very strong performances:
- The city of Luxembourg, an economic and tourist hub, rolled out a self-service bike system with station-charging electric pedal-assist in 2018 as part of its contract with JCDecaux. A genuine success, which has seen the number of rentals multiplied by 7.3 since launch, the system saw its numbers surge in 2022: the 900 Vel’OH! bikes reported close to 1.2 million rentals, i.e. +47% compared with 2021 and +70% compared with 2019
- With 84 stations and 840 bikes rented on average 5.3 times per day, the city of Ljubljana in Slovenia has one of the most successful self-service bike systems in the world. Since their introduction by JCDecaux in 2011, the Bicikelj bikes have been extremely popular and have given a new lease of life to biking in Ljubljana, which has become one of the 20 cities since 2015 that is most bike-friendly according to the Copenhagenize index. In 2022, the number of rentals was up 35% compared with the pre-Covid period
- In Spain, the country’s two biggest SSB systems enjoyed a recovery in 2022: the 2,750 Valenbisi (Valencia) reported a strong growth, with rental numbers up +23% compared with 2021, while the 2,500 Sevici (Seville) reported +17% growth in rentals compared with 2021
- This success is based on several factors which together show the strength of JCDecaux’s “green mobility” model: proven equipment that is constantly improved, robust and reliable information systems, expert and dedicated operating teams as well as a cutting-edge digital experience. JCDecaux is the only integrated company which designs and operates the equipment, contributing to the continuous improvement of our service worldwide.Since the early 2000s, JCDecaux has worked to bring self-service bikes to as many people as possible. Today, the Group operates more than 25,000 bikes in 10 countries and 73 cities, with a particularly well-developed network in France. As a trusted partner to local authorities in championing intermodal travel, JCDecaux leverages its expertise and powers of innovation to help cities and citizens meet the challenges of mobility. SSBs as well as their related infrastructure are along with bus shelters, among the activities that are eligible for the “Green Taxonomy”. This framework which was implemented by the European Commission aims to prioritise the financing of activities that already contribute significantly to the low-carbon transition objectives and also to encourage and accelerate the emergence and expansion of transition activities. In 2021, Taxonomy-eligible revenues amounted to 39% of the Group’s revenue.
Jean-Charles Decaux, Chairman of the Executive Board and Co-Chief Executive Officer of JCDecaux, said: “As 2023 marks the anniversary of our SSB activity, we are proud to have led the way for shared eco-friendly urban mobility in 2003 and to have contributed to promoting changes in behaviour throughout the world. In line with the Group’s business model, we are delighted to finance our bike networks with advertising street furniture so that we can keep subscription and user fees as low as possible without impacting taxpayers. The strong rental levels which we have enjoyed in recent months confirm that bikes have been adopted as a sustainable means of transport for daily journeys across the world. I would like to thank our teams for their commitment to providing an outstanding service to our customers and to shaping the future of self-service bikes which enhances the quality of life in cities. They benefit from strong market recognition, notably in France where Cyclocity, JCDecaux’s consolidated subsidiary operating self-service bikes was elected Customer Service of the Year for the fourth year in the individual personal transport category*, in November 2022. Working alongside its partner cities to provide useful services for the public, JCDecaux continues to reimagine the future of shared bikes to enhance users’ experience and facilitate their daily travel.”
- Source: JCDecuax