Revolutionising Urban Service Operations in Paris with Agile Cargo E-Bikes
Client Overview
JcDecaux is a global leading provider of outdoor advertising as well as offering services and facility management. JcDecaux operates in 75 countries, with its headquarter right outside Paris. And in 2024 JcDecaux bought 15 CityQ cargo bikes to its operation in Paris, starting under the Olympic Games. CityQ was selected after testing all cargo bikes available in the market.
Location
Paris, France
Task
Service and maintenance of public toilettes
Problem
Limited access and parking for vans. Costly parking tickets
Challenge
In dense urban environments like Paris, JCDecaux faced increasing difficulties with:
- Access: Large vans struggled to reach service locations efficiently.
- Parking: Limited availability and frequent parking fines inflated operational costs.
- Recruitment: Attracting and retaining service personnel was becoming difficult due to the discomfort and inefficiency of current vehicle options.
Solution: Switching to CityQ
JCDecaux tested 15 different cargo bikes across two pilot rounds. CityQ stood out as the clear leader, offering a comfortable, agile, and efficient alternative to traditional service vans.
- Agile: Smaller and faster than competitors
- Agile 2: Stable and responsive in turns and high speed
- Efficiency: Transport time across Paris has been reduced with 50%
- Safety: Rider feedback. Floor
- Comfort: Seating, door, wiper and side window
- Appearance: Perceived small, friendly and accepted by city. Attractive marketing
- Recruitment: Popular. Making it easier to recruit personnel
Facts & Numbers
16 bikes
Plus backup bike
5 bikes
With special winter protection – side windows
7 bikes
In Paris maintaining toilettes
1
In Bordeaux replacing billboards
+300 km
Average monthly usage per CityQ since mid 2024
JcDecaux selected CityQ among 15 other cargo bikes mainly for these 3 reasons: CityQ size. The small size and narrow width and speediness make it very efficient to ride across the city. CityQ safety and comfort. Attracting seating position, comfort and floor reducing risk of issues in operation– makes it popular among our employees and easier for JcDecaux to recruit personnel. CityQ reliability and easy riding. It is very stable, agile and reliable making it easy for our team to do their job done.
Why customer choose CityQ over other bikes?
| Features | CityQ | Other Cargo Bikes |
|---|---|---|
| Efficiency | Fast, powerful and more agile. The sporty cargo bike. 1-3m3 capacity | Larger, heavier, wider, less torque. 0,5m3-2m3 capacity |
| Reliability | Chainless drivetrain, regenerating brakes, puncture free tires. Pre-emptive maintenance | 30% more issues with chains, mechanical brakes, air-tires, lack of service |
| Comfort | Car like seating, best weather protection, floor and doors | Back issues with bike saddle, wet from side and ground |
| Service | Dedicated service centres, mobile service, spare part availability. Online tracking | Fragile parts and lack of service – reduce uptime and life span |
| Safety | Full floor chassis, doors, wiper, car like seating | Less protection, unstable for rollover and turns |
| Public Accept | Score high on design, awareness and recognition | Perceived as too high and boxy |
