While popular belief holds that people looking for a job need to “keep pedaling” to find one, the reality reverses the roles: It will be the employees and officials of the Pôle Emploi in the Alpes-Maritimes who will take a Vélobleu for their commuting.
No, this is not a new method or technique to streamline the job market and facilitate matching supply and demand but… a common desire between the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis, Transdev (the concessionaire company), and the management of the Pôle Emploi of the Alpes-Maritimes to preserve the quality of life and environment of the area.
The objective will be pursued through the promotion of bicycle use and particularly advantageous pricing under “Major Account” agreements for professionals.
The reduced cost is expected to encourage the implementation of this agreement among the Agency staff. Moreover, the easy commuting experience and the maximum availability of the service (24/7) are two significant advantages.
Will job seekers benefit? In the past, it was the postman who delivered the envelope containing the job offer letter by bicycle. Today, it will be a Pôle Emploi official who, mounted on their Vélobleu, will bring the good news directly to the interested party.
Beyond the eternal naysayers, what should be remembered from this agreement is its positive spirit and its sense of participation in a social goal.
The introduction of electric bikes is eagerly awaited, as they are the real solution to polluting traffic in the context of urbanization, increased mobility, and the fact that many people still dress formally, which isn’t quite compatible with the physical activity that cycling requires. A quick trip to Copenhagen, the European queen of mobility, might give our elected officials some good ideas.
Indeed, the example of the Japanese is well known: They prefer to copy rather than invent. Are they really wrong when we see around us all these reinventors of the wheel?
