Government launches Velos Rouges scheme
Monaco's bike rental scheme is ready to go.
Similar to London's Boris Bikes and Nice's Velos Bleus, the Principality's electrically assisted bikes are called Velos Rouges (red bikes). Monaco bus company (CAM) and the Government initially launched the 2-wheeled communal transport as an experiment in August 2010, with 354 volunteers helping to test its feasiblity. Since then, 10 parking stations have been placed around the Principality, with a fleet of 55 bikes available. Fitted with a basket, a panier rack, a bell and a lock, the cycles feature 7 gears and an electric motor with an autonomy of 20-25 km, helping pedalers to climb Monaco's steep hills.
The scheme is now being offered to the general public, with priority for those who took part in the testing phase. From tomorrow, anyone in the Principality can apply to CAM at 3 avenue JF Kennedy for a quarterly season ticket costing 15 euros, renewed automatically every 3 months. Once you have your season ticket, you can take a bike from any of the stations and use it free of charge for up to 2 hours. After that, the bike should be parked up in a station, otherwise you'll be charged 2 euros for every extra 30 minutes, up to 7 hours, when the charge becomes 10 euros per hour. Once you've parked the bike, you can take another one, again at no cost.
Initially, the number of subscriptions is limited to 550, but the Government is hoping to increase this in future.
If you'd like to apply for the quarterly subscription, which can also be used to buy regional bus and train season tickets, visit:
- CAM offices, 3 avenue JF Kennedy (near the Port Palace Hotel)
- bring:
- recent photo
- RIB
- ID
