Since February 20, the vélobleus of Nice have been replaced by those from the companies Lime and Pony. A new design and new offers… how do these two-wheelers really measure up?
After 15 years of faithful and loyal service, the vélobleus are making way! The two bike operators Pony and Lime are taking over in several municipalities of the Métropole de Nice. Each provides 1,000 bikes for a total of 2,000 two-wheelers. The Lime range is 100% electric. The same goes for Pony, except that the company has 200 mechanical bicycles in its fleet.
The Advantages
These new devices are “more efficient, robust, comfortable and functional. We have chosen to move towards a self-service solution to ensure a more modern and practical service”, explains the mayor, Christian Estrosi.
Furthermore, the electric versions have a range of 100 km and are entirely self-service. There’s no more need for docking points like in the vélobleu days. The “Pony” bikes also have a rear seat, allowing a third person to enjoy the ride.
How to Use Them?
To take advantage of them, simply connect to their respective apps (Lime and Pony), which can be downloaded for free, and fill in the requested information. Then, you need to scan the QR code of the bike on the app (visible on the handlebar) and the bike is yours! They are available in parking zones scattered throughout the Métropole.
To return them, you must park them at the points indicated by the apps. Otherwise, the user will receive a fine. This prevents bikes from being parked on every street corner, as was the case with the vélobleus. An initiative that Louis approves of: “it’s better because it was really a mess with all the vélobleus found around the city. Anyway, I prefer to use Pony. I can take my girlfriend on the back, even if she doesn’t agree“, he concludes with a smile.
What’s the Price Difference?
Remember, the vélobleus at the stations offered the first half-hour for free for a rental fee of 1.50 euros per day. The annual subscription cost between 25 and 80 euros. With Lime, the usage minute costs 23 cents and 19 cents for Pony. Thus, an hour of use ranges from 13.8 to 11.4 euros. This is quite expensive compared to the former operator. There are also plans: with Lime, you can pedal for 30 minutes a day for 3.60 euros, 60 minutes a week for 7.99 euros, and five hours for the whole month for 31.99 euros. With Pony, the rental per day is 29 €, 19 € for the week and 39 € for the month.
Despite these large price differences, Emmanuel much prefers this system: “It’s more simple for us. We go directly on the app and that’s it. Before, I’d struggle for 15 minutes before being able to borrow a bike. Now, it’s just one scan and we’re off“. For Victor, it’s the opposite: “I used to pay the monthly subscription for the vélobleus and was set for my morning workout all year long. Now, it’s too expensive. I’m going to have to invest in a personal bike“, explains the former sports coach.
Although the city of Nice has just adopted these new models, the “Pony” and “Lime” bicycles are well-known in some cities of the country. Indeed, Paris, Marseille, Poitiers, and Angers have been offering these services for several years now.
