From rental bikes to cars in Paris

No longer a novelty, several major American and European cities offer the possibility of renting a bike for the hour or day. And taking profit of this are not only the tourists but also the dwellers of those mostly congested cities. The rentals not only contribute to cut on pollution but also they are more economic than having a car and certainly more adaptable for our modern life. Now, in Paris, mayor Bertrand Delanoë realizing the success of the city’s popular bike rental plan is thinking about deploying 2,000 electric cars that can be pick up and drop off at rental places around the city. Autolib would operate in a similar way as the Paris bike rental (Vélib) does since 2007. Drivers will be able to pick up a two or a four-seat car at any of the rental places without reservation. All that they will have to do is to have registered in advance, presenting a valid drivers license and paying a subscription fee, then once they are ready for the car they will just have to swipe their credit card in a reader at one of the rental places and they could take off until they don’t need the car and they can drop it off at any of the rental places. Rates have not been set yet but the figure talked about is on anywhere from $6 to $9.
I must say that during a short visit in Antibes, in the French Riviera I noticed they had a similar plan but in a much reduced scale.