Veloway, a new link in the mobility chain

The visual identity of Veloway, reminiscent of the fork and wheel of a bicycle, makes the service easily recognizable to users. In France, it was unveiled to the media with the official launch of the brand in February 2008.

No one doubted the importance of public transport, but the message was really driven home with the findings of the survey conducted by the Veolia Observatory of urban lifestyles. The inhabitants of Sydney rank public transportation as their No. 1 concern; people in Alexandria rank it second; and Parisians rank it third. These data are an expression of city-dwellers' desire for less pollution and more space - both of which can be achieved by reducing traffic.

In other words, public transport is the key to the future. And that future includes bicycles, a means of transportation recently rediscovered and gaining popularity in most major cities. User demand for this environmentally friendly way to get around is on the rise, prompting local authorities to plan to provide infrastructure such as bike paths or dedicated bike lanes, bike-share programs, etc.

This is a seachange, and no elected official can afford to ignore it. Veolia Transport decided to contribute to that change with Veloway, its subsidiary specializing in and dedicated to self-serve bicycles, offering a number of innovative features. It provides a three-part offer tailored to three different types of needs.

"Veloway Pass" is the most conventional solution, but it includes an innovative docking system via the bike's basket. "Veloway Mobile", the second option, has a station requiring no roadwork which can be easily relocated. Finally, "Veloway Park" is a bike parking service designed for intermodal transfer points, accommodating both a Veloway Pass docking station and individually owned bikes, and with a patented access control system for security.

Veolia Transport's Xavier Guépet and Jérôme Fière, along with the Veloway team, promoted the new service to the Marketing and Communications department of Veolia Transport. Positioning Veloway as one link in the urban mobility chain emerged as the logical choice.

For Veloway Managing Director David Josephson, one of the key advantages of this program is that "it gives local authorities a chance to choose the package that best meets their needs." Veloway was designed as a fullfledged urban transport option to supplement other means of public transportation.

With Veloway, the bicycle is used not only for local service (i.e., the last kilometer) but also to feed into the public transport system, for one-time trips for a specific purpose or for moving about the downtown area. "Our strong points are complementarity - in other words, synergy with our existing transport solutions - and intermodality," confirms Josephson.

Not to mention flexibility: with its three types of service, Veloway can also fit the needs of companies, campuses or hospitals that are built on large, sprawling sites. Such needs exist in France, Britain and the United States.