Velib’ & Autolib’ : A New Way to Travel

For a long time the ‘green agenda’ was not important for governments, or for people in general; the priority was to expand and consume without caring about the environment. After years of neglect, the planet is now suffering from all this exploitation, and governments are doing their best to limit further damage to the environment with various schemes, including transport initiatives. In London, the most high profile, green transport system is the London Cycle Hire scheme, set up by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson; however, London was not the first city to adopt such an environmentally friendly system – that honour goes to Paris. The innovative Velib’ bicycle sharing system was launched in Paris in 2007 to limit the greenhouse effect.

(Velib rental station. Image taken from http://www.streetsblog.org/2009/02/12/reports-of-velibs-demise-greatly-exaggerated/)

There are about 18,000 bicycles and 1,200 rental stations located across Paris, with each Velib’ rental station consisting of a dozen bicycles. To access them you need to sign up for a subscription, which allows an unlimited number of rentals. The Velib’ rental station was such a success that it expanded really quickly. In December 2011, a similar system called Autolib’ was lauched, but this time it was for cars. Thanks to the technology, Autolib’ is environmentally friendly and convenient at the same time. In fact, it’s an electric car which is available to anyone aged over 18 and is in possession of a French driving license. Importantly for non-Parisians, each car has a GPS on board which allows you to navigate the sometimes daunting streets of the French capital with ease.

In a world that is becoming more environmentally conscious, but also still affected by the economic crisis, Velib’ and Autolib’ are an urban revolution with great appeal, saving money and reducing the greenhouse effect via the 3 Es : Economic, Ecologic, and Electric. With the 100% electric cars of Autolib’, everybody can now drive without producing any carbon emission or pollution in the atmosphere, and without making any noise. Interestingly, France has made a commitment to reduce carbon emissions by 20% by 2020, and with these new transport systems, everybody can now contribute to this great goal. We think it’s a real step to a more sustainable and better world and ties in nicely with Carbon Voyage’s raison d’être to make transport more efficient through sharing vehicles to make the earth a better place to live in. Paris, watch this space as we’d like to roll out Carbon Voyage’s services across the channel in the not too distant future.

(Autolib charge car. Image taken from http://www.auto-buzz.com/autolib-debuts-officiels-540191.html)

*This post is written by Carbon Voyage’s current intern from France.