Paris pulls plug on electric car service after bike debacle

An Autolib' electric car-sharing logo sits at an Autolib' charging station in Paris, France, June 21, 2018. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier

Paris was a pacesetter in shared transport, launching Velib, the first large-scale urban bike share, in 2007 and an electric-car system called Autolib in 2011. Now, both ventures have skidded off course. 

The city of Paris and other local governments on June 21 cancelled their contract with Autolib’s operator, Bollore SA, after the company predicted losses totalling €300mil (RM1.39bil) over the next five years and asked for taxpayers to pick up much of the cost. Users also complained about dirty, poorly maintained cars.