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(Parisian) Autolib Experiences

(Parisian) Autolib Experiences

Old Aug 5, 2013, 4:17 am
  #1  
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(Parisian) Autolib Experiences

Already being a big fan of Vélib (and similar schemes around the world - think I've used a good dozen of them now), I was intrigued by Autolib (enough to pre-emptively sign up to a zero-cost plan online). It seems like a nice solution as an alternative to taxis when you have luggage, or when visiting friends in the badlands of near extramuros at night.

Any experiences with this service? Is it simple enough to get the membership card from the subscription stations? Do the cars work reasonably well?

(FWIW, I am very used to driving in Paris, as some traumatised colleagues from a trip involving the Étoile can attest to. I'm only really interested in it as a replacement for taxis, as I'll generally use Vélib or metro otherwise...)
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Old May 11, 2015, 2:38 am
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Well, I'll answer my question, as I finally got round to using them this weekend.

They're great! While I'm a huge fan of the metro and RER, there are some journeys that are a little hassle, particularly with luggage, and particularly when they're out of the city centre, and this nippy little electric cars do a great job of getting you around (for €9 per 30 minutes). And, well, a drive through the Louvre, along the river and then up the Champs-Élysées is nicer than RER A, even if I hadn't anticipated that the Étoile tunnel was shut and I'd have to negotiate one of Paris's more 'fun' junctions in a small, unfamiliar vehicle... But then up and under La Défense, doing pretty well on the motorway as well.

Very handy and rather fun, albeit in varying states of cleanliness... The collection and drop off procedures are pretty straightforward, but the one hassle for casual travellers is that you can only get a card to get access to the vehicles if you go to a subscription kiosk, of which there are far fewer than there are car stations. And you need to do this for each 24-hour period.
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Old May 11, 2015, 2:52 am
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I have my own car so I have never been compelled to use Autolib. I have never fully understood who their target customer might be. Even at 9€/30 min period, it seems a bit pricey to use one just to go shopping at IKEA or Carrefour and then they have very little cargo space. For shorter distances, the métro or a bus seems a lot more efficient.

Whatever the rational, they seem to be expanding the concept.
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Old May 11, 2015, 3:19 am
  #4  
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They come much more into their own when you're headed outside the walls, I think. For example, I had to head from St Georges out towards a bit of 92 that's a good 20 minutes' walk from the RER, at a time when the RER out there's running every 20 minutes. With a few of you travelling, it's very convenient. And there were certainly plenty of them running around.
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