Electric scooters in Marseille!
Marseillais, Marseillaises, tourists, forget about the bus, metro, or tram. You can enjoy the streets of Marseille with the wind in your hair, steering your electric scooter!
Implemented by the Californian company Lime and the Swedish company Voi, they are available for free-floating rental (without stations) on the sidewalks.
Why ride a scooter in Marseille?
Riding an electric scooter in Marseille offers numerous advantages, both practically and environmentally. Firstly, this mode of transportation helps avoid frequent traffic jams in a dense metropolis like Marseille, facilitating quick and smooth travel from one point to another in the city. Electric scooters are particularly well-suited for short and medium distances, making them ideal for urban journeys.
From an environmental perspective, electric scooters provide a clean alternative, significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions compared to cars and motorcycles. They thus contribute to improving air quality, a major issue for Marseille, often plagued by pollution problems.
Economically, they offer a less costly solution than automobiles or public transportation in the long run, especially considering the relatively low maintenance costs and absence of parking fees. Finally, the ease of use and the increasing availability of rental and sales points in Marseille make this mode of transportation increasingly accessible, encouraged by urban policies favoring sustainable mobility.
How to use electric scooters in Marseille?
Don't worry, using a scooter isn't complicated at all—it's well organized! Simply download the Lime or Voi app, which gives you access to a map of Marseille to locate scooters. The app also indicates the number of available scooters, their battery level, and allows you to reserve them remotely. When your journey is finished or when the battery runs out, take a photo of the scooter's location and it will be immediately locked. At 8 p.m., when the curfew starts, the service stops, and the company collects the scattered scooters around the city.
Where to find electric scooters for free-floating rental in Marseille?
Electric scooters for free-floating rental are concentrated in the city center, from Mazargues to Sainte-Marthe, up to Saint-Julien. To prevent vandalism, if a scooter exceeds the authorized limit, an alarm is sent to the company.
How much does it cost to rent an electric scooter in Marseille?
Expect to pay €1 to unlock the scooter and €0.15 for each minute of use. You have the option to pay per minute or choose a 24-hour Pass or a subscription offering unlimited access to 45-minute trips each. If you qualify for a solidarity rate with RTM, sign up with Voi to take advantage of the "Voi for All" promotion. This offer allows you to acquire 50 credits for only €10, while their normal value is around €50.
But where can you ride? Since scooters are classified as two-wheeled vehicles, they are subject to the same traffic laws as bicycles, which means they must obey traffic lights and must not ride on sidewalks. Beware of reckless riders; these scooters can go up to 25 km/h!
Also, keep in mind that after 50 km, the scooter will be discharged. A company will then come to recharge them for redeployment.
Is it more advantageous to rent an electric scooter or buy one for getting around Marseille?
The dilemma of choosing between buying or renting an electric scooter in Marseille requires a thorough analysis based on criteria such as budget, frequency of use, and daily distances traveled. Buying a quality scooter starts at around €500, with options ranging up to €2000 for high-end models. This option ensures permanent availability of the scooter, without time constraints or daily recharging, ideal for frequent and anytime usage.
On the other hand, renting offers flexibility for those who only need a scooter sporadically and who live close to service areas. However, this choice can be restrictive: scooters are not available 24/7, need to be recharged every night, and may not be accessible depending on the user's schedule.
Buying is preferable for those planning to use the scooter regularly, while renting can be advantageous for occasional and specific uses. Each option has its merits and should be chosen after careful evaluation of personal needs and lifestyle in Marseille.