Autolib Brings�Car Sharing to Paris

Say what you will about their incessant strikes, their unwavering arrogance or their myopic fear of modernity. But when it comes to green transportation, there's no denying that the French are well ahead of the curve. Today, it's virtually impossible to stroll through the streets of Paris without seeing at least a few people cruising around on Vélibs -- the public bikes first introduced a few years ago. Whether they're commuters, tourists, or late night revelers, virtually everyone in Paris has latched on to the bicycle sharing system, thanks in large part, of course, to the commodious bike lanes that run throughout the city. The program has been so successful, in fact, that the City of Lights is now planning on introducing a similar public transport initiative -- for cars.

Set to launch next fall, the Autolib program is essentially a cross between the Vélib system, and Zipcar. The initiative calls for 3,000 battery-powered cars to be scattered across 1,000 self-service charging stations located throughout the city. Anyone with a valid driver's license can pick up a so-called 'Bluecar' at the hiring point, and drop it off at any other station. Subscribers will have to pay roughly $15 per month, and about $6.50 for the first half-hour of use. The next half-hour will cost them about $5.30, with each subsequent 30-minute period priced at nearly $8.00.

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Autolib Brings�Car Sharing to Paris originally appeared on Switched on Sun, 19 Dec 2010 12:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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