The Liselec Service Celebrates Its First Year of Operations in La Rochelle With More than 250 Members and 15,000 Trips Taken 
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Photo: PSA

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Inaugurated in La Rochelle on September 22, 1999, the system has since generated an encouraging response in the marketplace. In one year, more than 250 clients have joined the program and now make daily use of the 50 Liselec cars — 25 Peugeot 106s and 25 Citroën Saxos — that were deployed in La Rochelle. The cars are parked at six recharging stations near high-use locations, such as the train station, the bus station and the university. In response to the steady rise in the number of program members, with four or five new sign-ups a week, La Rochelle has decided to expand the service by opening two new stations this fall.  

Liselec users are generally young (50% are less than 35 years old) and 75% of them are men. The customer base is composed primarily of students (32%), tradesmen and shopkeepers (15%), employees (13%) and managers and self-employed professionals (12%). 

As of mid-September 2000, the 50 cars had been driven a total of approximately 100,000 km. The average trip covered 6 km and the mean time of use was 30 minutes, while the median trip time came to 10 minutes. In all, the cars in the Liselec fleet were used to take some 15,000 trips. 

A survey of 130 customers in February confirmed users’ positive opinion of the service, which received an overall satisfaction rating of 7.9 on a scale of 10. Program members especially appreciated the car's’ driving comfort, the self-service system, the availability of cars at the recharging stations, and the competence of the sales agency staff. 

(September 22, 2000)