Paris, November 19, 2007 - JCDecaux SA (Euronext Paris: DEC), the No.1 outdoor advertising company in Europe and in the Asia-Pacific region, No.2 worldwide in this industry, and No.1 in self-service bicycle hire, announces that the Vélô Toulouse bicycle hire scheme was officially launched on Friday, November 16 by the Mayor of Toulouse and that it enjoyed an exceptional public interest with a total of 9,000 rentals in the space of 3 days.
The Vélô Toulouse bicycle hire scheme includes 60 docking stations and 600 bicycles available as of November 16, a total due to be expanded to 253 docking stations and a fleet of 2,400 bicycles in April 2008. The launch of this bicycle hire operation has led to the creation of 42 new jobs, taking to 190 the number of people employed by the Regional Division.
The Vélô Toulouse bicycle hire scheme represents a new step for JCDecaux in its ability to provide local authorities with a system that enjoys an innovative market positioning. By reinventing the use of bicycles in an urban environment, based on the principle that bicycles represent a fantastic addition to the use of public transport, JCDecaux is aiming to make its self-service bicycle hire scheme a true form of individual public transport. By making its price accessible to everyone, it is making this service truly democratic and, in the process, speeding up society’s adoption of a more sustainable urban environment.
Jean-Charles Decaux, co-CEO of JCDecaux, said: “Thanks to this eco-friendly means of transport, JCDecaux is helping to improve the quality of life in Toulouse. With more than 9,000 rentals in 3 days, and 3,390 rentals only on Saturday, I am glad to observe that the Toulouse inhabitants have already adopt this new form of individual public transport.”
JCDecaux Group, key figures:
- 2006 revenues: €1,946.4m; 9 first months 2007 revenues: €1,506.9m
- JCDecaux is listed on the Eurolist of Euronext Paris and is part of the Euronext 100 and FTSE4Good indexes
- No.1 worldwide in street furniture (334,000 advertising panels)
- No.1 worldwide in airport advertising with 141 airports and more than 300 transport contracts in metros, buses, trains and tramways (213,000 advertising panels)
- No.1 in Europe for billboards (216,000 advertising panels)
- No.1 in outdoor advertising in China (83,000 advertising panels in 21 cities)
- No.1 worldwide for self-service bicycle hire
- 763,000 advertising panels in 48 different countries
- Present in 3,500 cities with more than 10,000 inhabitants
- 8,100 employees
