is a large-scale public bicycle sharing system in Paris, France. Launched on 15 July 2007, the system encompasses around 18,000 bicycles and 1,200 bicycle stations, located across Paris and in some surrounding municipalities, with an estimated average daily ridership of 110,000.
The
system is financed by the JCDecaux advertising corporation, in return
for the city of Paris signing over the income from a substantial portion
of on‑street advertising hoardings.
JCDecaux paid the scheme's start-up costs, totaling about $140 million, and employs around 285 people full-time to operate the system and repair the bikes on a ten-year contract. The city receives all revenue from the program, as well as a fee of about $4.3 million a year. In return, JCDecaux receives exclusive control over 1,628 city-owned billboards; the city receives about half of that advertising space at no charge for public-interest advertising.
JCDecaux paid the scheme's start-up costs, totaling about $140 million, and employs around 285 people full-time to operate the system and repair the bikes on a ten-year contract. The city receives all revenue from the program, as well as a fee of about $4.3 million a year. In return, JCDecaux receives exclusive control over 1,628 city-owned billboards; the city receives about half of that advertising space at no charge for public-interest advertising.
Due to an unexpectedly high rate of vandalism compared to the Lyon bicycle hire system, the Paris City Council agreed to pay replacement costs of $500 per vandalized bicycle, leading to expected costs of up to 2 million euro per year.
