Vélib'

Vélib' Métropole is a large-scale public <a href="/facts/Bicycle_sharing_system/3dywV13l">bicycle sharing system</a> in Paris, France. The system encompasses more than 16,000 bikes and 1,400 stations. The name Vélib' is a <a href="/facts/Portmanteau/d124JEbz">portmanteau</a> of the French words vélo ("bicycle") and liberté ("freedom").
Vélib' was operated originally as a <a href="/facts/Concession_(contract)/ATTRqkKc">concession</a> by the French advertising corporation <a href="/facts/JCDecaux/6v5Bn8y8">JCDecaux</a>. Launched on 15 July 2007, the system encompassed around 14,500 bicycles and 1,400 bicycle stations, located across Paris and in some surrounding municipalities, with an average daily ridership of 85,811 in 2011. As of 2014, Vélib' was the world's 12th-largest bikesharing program by the number of bicycles in circulation; the rest of the top 18 are in Chinese cities. As of July 2013, Velib' had the highest <a href="/facts/Market_penetration/lT4TWwRr">market penetration</a> with 1 bike per 97 inhabitants, followed by <a href="/facts/V%25C3%25A9lo%2527v/CSVPBwux">Vélo'v</a> in <a href="/facts/Lyon/hKh6EX67">Lyon</a> with 1 bike per 121 residents, and <a href="/facts/Hangzhou/wXb5auh7">Hangzhou</a> in China with 1 per 145. From 2011 to 2018, Vélib' was complemented by <a href="/facts/Autolib%2527/2BlQt7q5">Autolib'</a>, an <a href="/facts/Electric_car/agINmGGQ">electric car</a> <a href="/facts/Car_sharing/jaqQsB16">sharing scheme</a> operating on similar principles.
As of 2018, Velib' has been rebranded as <a href="/facts/V%25C3%25A9lib%2527_M%25C3%25A9tropole/fthr1Efa">Vélib' Métropole</a>, and is now operated by Smovengo. It has since been expanded to 55 cities around Paris.

Vélib' open-in-new

Vélib'