Untraceable Vélib’ or unable to travel more than 200 meters? Have you experienced it? Sylvain Raifaud too, he who has been a subscriber since 2007. He is above all the president of the Syndicat Autolib ‘Velib’ Métropole (SAVM) which brings together around sixty municipalities in the Ile-de-France region. And the SAVM, like its president, is not at all satisfied with its service provider Smovengo. “The service delivered is not at the level expected for a public service of this scale and does not allow a satisfactory user experience”, lights the union in
a press release published on January 25.
“Smovengo does not meet the criteria put in place, in particular in terms of the effective availability of Vélib’ in the station and the number of bicycles circulating”, affirms Sylvain Raifaud, also elected EELV of Paris. For him, “Smovengo must make an effort right away”. Consequently, the SAVM plans to impose penalties on its service provider who, according to Le Figaro, could reach nearly 10 million euros. A figure tempered by Sylvain Raifaud who specifies “being in a contradictory discussion” and “waiting for proposals” from Smovengo. In order to put a little more weight on it, he adds “consider an exit in good order” if ever his client does not manage to straighten the bar and the conditions of the contract are not satisfied.
“Shareholders need to make an effort”
Sylvain Raifaud is all the more upset that last February the SAVM decided to change the price list in favor of Smovengo to deal with the over-use of electrically assisted Vélib’. But this increase in remuneration did not lead to an overall improvement in service. Hence the punch on the table. “Smovengo employees are committed people but they don’t have the means, the shareholders have to make an effort”, asserts the elected EELV. Solicited, Smovengo does not make any comment for the moment.
At the same time, the SAVM decided to launch an audit to obtain an “overall assessment of the service” and see how to improve all of this. “We have drawn up specifications and are in the process of placing the call for tenders”, explains Sylvain Raifaud. The idea is also to take the opportunity to see how to extend Vélib’ so that “the service becomes fully metropolitan”. And the chosen one knows he is “expected” by the nearly 360,000 subscribers. But also by the member municipalities of the SAVM. Because the 40 million euros of the union’s annual budget come half from user revenues and half from contributions from local authorities. Who are tired of paying for poor quality service.