The episode in detail
Véligo Location: trying an electric bike before investing
Véligo Location is an Île-de-France Mobilités service, operated by the company Fluow. The idea: rent an electric bike for six months (renewable for three months) for 40 euros a month, of which 50% can be covered by the employer. Agnès Presberg, deputy managing director in charge of development, explains the logic behind the scheme: buying a good VAE is a significant expense. Long-term rental lets you test it across several seasons before taking the plunge. And the figures back up the approach: more than 70% of users keep cycling after returning their Véligo.
“What tells me I’ve succeeded is if people keep cycling afterwards. More than 70% of them do.”
20,000 VAEs and three models: the biggest fleet in the world
Véligo Location has 20,000 electric bikes, making it the biggest long-term rental VAE fleet in the world. Three types of model are on offer: the standard bike, the cargo bike with front box, and the longtail. Cargo bikes are available on one- to three-month rentals, suited to families who want to try carrying children by bike. The subscription includes preventive maintenance (a service at 1,500 km) and repairs, with the option to add insurance, a helmet, a pannier bag or a child seat. A turnkey service designed for complete beginners.
“Buying a good electric bike is a real expense. The idea of Véligo is to try it out before taking the plunge.”
From self-service bikes to a bike of your own: two complementary approaches
Véligo Location does not work like Vélib’. The bike is assigned personally to the renter for the whole length of the contract. They pick it up where they left it, look after it as their own, park it wherever they like. This approach answers a different need: the regular daily trip, commuting, errands, outings. The self-service bike remains useful for one-off trips and flexibility. The two services complement each other in the Paris-region mobility chain. Agnès notes that intermodality is at the heart of the strategy: riding a Véligo to the station, taking the train, then finishing on foot or by public transport.
“Unlike a self-service bike, the Véligo is mine. I pick it up where I left it, I leave it wherever I like.”
A new woman bike commuter at 59: Agnès’s account
Agnès makes no secret that she is a new woman bike commuter. A lifelong Parisian, she hesitated for a long time: fear of the Bois de Boulogne at night when she lived in Suresnes, the distances, the lack of confidence. Joining Fluow, she had no excuse left. Her first ride, from Ivry to the 9th arrondissement, left her stunned: 99% of the route on cycle tracks, along the banks of the Seine, near the Louvre. Nothing like the image of a cyclist weaving between cars. She bike-commutes three times a week, gradually building up her kit and extending her distances. Her message: you have to try it and get equipped. What seems unlikely at first becomes natural.
“I was on a cycle track for 99% of my route. It wasn’t at all what I imagined.”
The VAE, an accelerator for bike commuting
Véligo’s data confirms the effect of the electric bike on take-up. Among renters who already owned a conventional bike, 70% used it to get to work. With an electric Véligo, that figure rises to 92%. Electric assistance removes two major barriers: distance and sweating. For someone hesitant about riding 10 or 15 km every morning, knowing they will arrive without having sweated changes everything. The service saw a sharp rise in sign-ups after the end of the first lockdown in 2020, confirmed by another surge at the start of the 2021 school year. Long-term electric bike rental is establishing itself as a stepping stone towards buying.
“With a conventional bike, 70% cycled to work. With an electric Véligo, it’s 92%.”
Get equipped, get equipped, get equipped
Agnès’s main advice comes down to one word: get equipped. A foldable helmet to fit in a bag, a pannier on the rack for her laptop, a rain jacket, gloves, waterproof trousers. She rides in a dress, in a skirt, adding layers and taking them all off on arriving at the office. Her best memory remains her first ride: along the banks of the Seine at sunrise, passing near the Louvre and realising it was doable. Her worst moment: the first downpour without proper gear. Lesson learned, gear bought, problem solved. For her, every obstacle to bike commuting has a simple practical solution.
