Vël'Ok

Vël'Ok

Vël'Ok are self-service bicycles with social and environmental aspects. Who hasn't noticed these multicoloured electric bicycles, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week as self-service, which have been part of the everyday image of the town of Esch-sur-Alzette since 2004 - and in 8 other municipalities in the south since 2015 or even 2019?

Did you know that their use is completely free and that the project is also managed by a reintegration initiative into the labour market?

It is the Centre d'Initiative et de Gestion Local (CIGL) in Esch-sur-Alzette, a non-profit social and solidarity economy organisation founded in 1997 that has managed to build a network of over 140 stations in less than 20 years, with almost 1000 lending and charging stations and over 650 bicycles. In 2020 alone, Vël'Ok recorded 146,000 rentals (+40% compared to 2019) and 1600 new users, for a total of 7500 active subscribers.

These figures show that this simple and cost-effective means of urban transport is an integral part of the sustainable mobility and environmental responsibility strategy of the 9 partner municipalities: Bettembourg, Differdange, Dudelange, Esch-sur-Alzette, Kayl, Mondercange, Rumelange, Sanem and Schifflange - and it is accepted by their citizens and visitors.

A good example of Vël'Ok's green approach is its recent collaboration with the Survcoin project (www.survcoin.lu), a cryptocurrency that rewards decarbonisation efforts. For every kilometre travelled with Vël'Ok, the user receives 1 Survcoin, which will serve as a local currency in the near future.

Due to the large number of rentals in all weather conditions and by many heterogeneous users, the bicycles were chosen for their resilience and durability. However, this does not mean that regular maintenance is not required. This is mostly done on site or, in case of major damage, in a workshop in the city centre of Esch-sur-Alzette. The maintenance and repair work is mostly done by employees who are in work integration programmes and have contracts of up to 2 years to train and find employment that matches their professional goals - the heart of the CIGL in Esch-sur-Alzette.

With the help of the Vël'Ok app, the bikes can be used in a particularly convenient and user-friendly way.
Problems and difficulties can be reported at any time via the hotline 80062456.