Velib’ Drama
May 9th, 2008
Wanting to hop on a Velib’ and cruise downhill to a museum, I scanned my Navigo which also contains my Velib’ pass. The scanner emitted a nasty “you’re wrong” noise as well as a red light. I tried my pass on several other bikes, all with the same results. Hmmmm. I’ve only had a happy relationship with Velib’- what could be wrong?
I slid my card on the main Velib’ database, and after entering my secret code, the screen showed that I owed 35,00 euros! What! How can that be? My last ride was nearly 10 minutes long, I couldn’t possibly owe anything. A closer look at my “history” showed that on the day of my 10-minute ride, the bike was checked out for 8 hours and 35 minutes. Uh oh…
This was the first time I felt that Velib’ had let me down. A bit saddened, I waited for bus #84 to come by to take me near the museum.
Later in the day, I called the Velib’ team to inquire about my situation. The man on the phone grilled me. “What day was your last trip on a Velib’? Where did you pick up the bike? Where did you drop it off?” He explained that after I thought I was finished with my trip, my velib carried on with travels unbeknownst to me, eight hours of secret travels to be exact, ending up only a few kilometers away, as if to mock me.
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475/week. Traditional charm, free WiFi & phone, no agency.
500/week. Walk to Louvre, Seine, Notre Dame. 





