Russ Curry, Ministry of New Media
JCDecaux S.A. (Euronext Paris: DEC), the number one outdoor advertising company worldwide and leader in self-service bike rental scheme, announces that, following a competitive tender, it has won the 15 year smart street furniture and self-service bike rental contract for Lyon Métropole (population: 1.3 million). This contract covers the design, installation, upkeep and maintenance of…
- 2,530 bus shelters, 640 city information panels (CIPs), 150 of which are 8m² and 490 of which are 2m² panels
- 5,000 self-service bikes and 428 Vélo’v stations.
This smart street furniture has been designed to facilitate and encourage soft mobility, in line with Lyon Métropole’s policy. Specifically, 1,500 of these street furniture items will allow users to access the “Info Grand Lyon” app and view on their smartphone information around active mobilities (guidance, mapping and marked routes) in addition to available public transit options in the Métropole. Furthermore, several hundred street furniture panels will display active mobilities maps and 120 of the 2m² CIPs will include information on marked pedestrian routes. Each street furniture item installed by JCDecaux will therefore become a connection and communication point, offering unprecedented mobility services and information.
Jean-Charles Decaux, Co-Chief Executive Officer of JCDecaux, said: “Lyon is a city that is very close to our hearts. Fifty-three years ago, the city’s mayor, Louis Pradel, was the first to place his trust in our Founder, Jean-Claude Decaux, taking a gamble on street furniture funded by advertising. In 2005, Lyon was once again the pioneer of street furniture and shared services when it launched the first large-scale self-service bike rental scheme in France, Vélo’v. This is why we are particularly pleased to pursue our partnership with Lyon Métropole through this highly innovative offer that meets citizens’ modern-day needs. The combination of street furniture and the self-service bike rental scheme creates smart public spaces based around a powerful communication network and provides a broad range of services for users. We are also pleased to announce that Lyon has chosen to partner with JCDecaux for its second soft mobility revolution, and are delighted at the prospect of rolling out a broad network of hybrid self-service bikes for the first time at that scale in France, starting in 2020. All of the Group’s teams, and especially the 140 local employees mobilised every day, providing excellent services, are proud of the Lyon Métropole’s renewed trust.”
JCDecaux will renovate and modernise its network of bus shelters and street furniture, particularly to incorporate USB ports and roll-out at least 50 Wi-Fi hotspots. The new street furniture could also be equipped with small cells at the disposal of telecom operators, in order to finance the gradual roll-out of additional Wi-Fi hotspots. In order to enhance the service and interactive aspect of its offer, JCDecaux will install experimental e-Village® touchscreens at 20 bus shelters, which will offer a range of open, customised and context-driven services (mobility, practical tips, leisure ideas, city news, event information). This information ecosystem, both in the city and on mobile, is in line with the Métropole’s Smart City ambitions.
JCDecaux will also roll out 5,000 self-service bikes and 428 stations financed by advertising street furniture, in line with its historical business model which has recognised virtues for public finances and users who benefit from, particularly, moderated prices and a first half-hour free. The Group has chosen the Franco-Argentine architect Marcelo Joulia (who created the branding for the Parc Olympique Lyonnais stadium) to design a new-generation Vélo’v that will be assembled exclusively in the Rhône-Alpes region. These new-generation bikes will offer a number of innovations:
- bikes can be unlocked more easily, without having to use the main terminal;
- bikes can be returned out of the docking point even when the station is full, thanks to an innovative, smart, bike-locking system;
- highly user-friendly terminals (large, interactive touchscreens, USB ports, contactless ticketing, etc.);
- a free smartphone app providing a comprehensive range of Vélo’v functions;
- optimised regulation thanks to new predictive tools.
In order to meet the expectations of the Métropole and its current 68,500 subscribers, in 2020 half of new bikes will become “e-Vélo’v” models.These hybrid electric bikes with a removable battery will be synonymous with freedom: users will be able to choose whether or not to use the electric assistance function at any time. Finally, JCDecaux will develop with Cyclable, the number one urban electric bike company in France, an innovative partnership focused on long-term bike rentals. Thanks to the Vélo’v mobility platform, users will have access to both self-service and long-term bike rentals.
In order to meet the Métropole’s requirements, and in accordance with its own CSR policy, JCDecaux took into account the project’s environmental, energy and ecological challenges, in a circular economy goal. Each street furniture item underwent a life cycle analysis to quantify the environmental impacts of its design, manufacture, operation and end of life, in order to reduce its energy consumption: by -67%, for example, for bus shelter advertising light boxes, using LEDs.
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