September 23, 2025 - Fluctuo has learned that Vélib’ ridership reached an all-time high last Thursday during the public transport strike in Paris. With the metros, buses and trains unavailable, Vélib was used 230,000 times in 24 hours, setting a new daily ridership record.
Just this summer, Vélib’ was suffering the highest levels of vandalism ever faced, losing 600 bikes a week to joyriders. It seems that service is back to full strength and continues to break records as the most-used bike system in Europe.
Two weeks ago, bike operators in London witnessed a similar spike in demand due to strikes, with Forest quadrupling normal rush-hour ridership.
Fluo has arrived in France. The new, regional bike system will equip 52 train stations with electric bikes to facilitate multi-modal travel across the Grand Est region, including Reims, Metz, Mulhouse, Strasbourg and Troyes.
The service, operated by Fifteen, has begun its rollout, and will reach 500 electric bikes by the end of 2025. €3.4m has been invested into the project, an initiative that is reminiscent of OVfiets in the Netherlands.
Just like the OVfiets model, bikes are rented on a daily basis (€6 for 14 hours), allowing users to take the bike home and have a bike for getting to the station in the morning. With a subscription to the regional train offer (TER), discounts are available.
