Interview with Mathieu Labey Managing Director of Wheelskeep
To learn more about how cities can take inspiration from the Paris cycling revolution, we spoke with Mathieu Labey, CEO of Wheelskeep, an in-move by Railgrup partner company specializing in urban bicycle management and safety solutions.
PSG: How can I park my bike 100% safely in the Parc des Princes?
1. Mathieu, what do you think of the transformation of Paris into a more sustainable and bicycle-friendly city?
What a great feeling! To see the city and many of its streets quieter, more pleasant and safer for cycling, and to be able to chat again on the terrace or in the street without noise.
Seeing more and more people riding bikes and discovering that they simply love to get around by bike. Children learning to enjoy cycling, in the city center, happy and free on their own bikes.
As a result, exhaust pollution has actually decreased, and central Paris has improved its air quality as automobile traffic has been reduced.
Unfortunately, thefts are still rife and are becoming more professional as the demand for bikes increases and the average price rises, but we also see more and more wrecks parked on public bike racks or attached to poles or subway stations: they are gradually being recycled in a simple way, with people helping themselves from the frame to the bones. You see them everywhere, without their 2 wheels, then looted and rusted little by little.
Theft is still a problem that greatly reduces bicycle usage, and eliminating it could free up usage by a factor of 3 or 4. That’s what I believe I can offer with Wheelskeep, an immediate, simple and adaptable solution for any location, to provide real 100% security for cyclists, who have become owners of vehicles costing from €2,000 on average to €10,000 in the case of cargo bikes.
Feedback from Wheelskeep, a perceived 100% secure parking facility, shows that there are 3 times more bikes at the finish line: these figures have also been observed by the JO2024 teams.
What elements of the Paris model would you like to highlight that could be applied in other cities?
Paris has practiced traffic calming and has proven effective in supporting this mode shift, so popular with the younger generation. As a result of increasing traffic jams, many motorists have given up the car to avoid them, and the general flow of traffic has adapted.
Young Parisians prefer freer modes of travel, without time constraints or line closures. This new generation is also more conscious of carbon emissions and their environmental impact.
Today, thanks to the numerous bike lanes, cycling in Paris is a real pleasure. You can enjoy this beautiful city by getting around more quickly and at ease than by metro or car, on journeys of less than 5 km.
Even motorists who were unhappy during the construction phase are just as happy as everyone else to cycle or walk along the Seine quays, which have become pedestrianized again. This change of use of space is good for the city, so we can make the most of it.
Unfortunately, cities continue to invest heavily in so-called “secure” automated bike racks, which are mostly complicated to access, generate additional concrete and carbon emissions and, unfortunately, are responsible for 20% of reported bike thefts. These automated parking lots are not an effective barrier against theft, and cyclists know it. In addition, the user experience is complex, with a card and prior registration, and above all, security is relative.
24 hours a day for 15 years, a 100% secure and serviced human parking lot is the same price as concrete and steel, which not only create jobs, but offer real security, perceived and valued by 97.5% of JO2024 users.
3. From Wheelskeep’s point of view, how can companies contribute to this change?
Wheelskeep has proven that its service generates 3 times more bicycle trips thanks to the safety, simplicity, convenience and services it offers to cyclists.
Theft is a major obstacle to cycling, and when it comes to long daily commutes, it is essential to be able to use a good quality bike that is fit for purpose, sized and equipped for everyday use.
To encourage cycling, companies buy bicycles or help their employees buy bicycles, but they often overlook the major problem of parking and safety.
This is where Wheelskeep comes in and allows the creation of 100% secured parking spaces sold on-site in a company-participating subscription, as well as options for maintenance services. The Wheelskeep model allows companies to support only the necessary secured parking spaces flexibly and without investment.
The Wheelskeep experience is deliberately designed to free up the use and sudden decision to take the bike one morning: no complexity, no application, no prior registration, all that is needed is a cell phone number. If employees decide to come by bike, they just have to introduce themselves and give their phone number when they arrive at the parking lot entrance. All they have to do is register and link their Wheelskeep company account, and they can leave without paying.
In this way, cycling will not be discouraged, and parking will be safe, easy and secure.
4. What are the main challenges cities face in carrying out this type of transformation?
The example of Paris in changing the modal share of cycling shows that it takes political courage to change habits, especially in densely populated cities, but that at the end of the operation of several years, the inhabitants are grateful for the political courage to have maintained this ambition and the calm regained in a calmer and more breathable city.
These examples of cities that have taken the plunge and achieved results are useful to demonstrate that it is obvious to make this change, to return to normal city living, after the extremes of the shift to all-car, bus, subway, bicycle and walking commuting are pleasant to live with.
5. Finally, what advice would you give to cities wishing to replicate the Paris model?
The classic arguments are always the same, and over time statistics prove them wrong. The retail sector often argues that customers come by car, but, on the contrary, parking and road density is 12 times lower by bicycle, which allows more customers to come to stores, restaurants and cafes, which have become quieter and more pleasant to live in, and come more pleasantly by bicycle. There are many examples of this, and they all converge. In my opinion, it has to be explained as pragmatically as possible.
An urban policy that affects the city and its daily experience to such an extent, especially during construction work that creates a bad experience for everyone, deserves to be adequately explained if it is to be accepted.
A few well-communicated key figures can help explain the benefits of these changes. It’s always easy to say, but it’s always hard to convince people who don’t want to change their ingrained habits and therefore can’t listen.
We also need to rely on practical experience and on the younger generation, which sees these changes in a positive way and supports them with the older generation, which is often too used to having forgotten about the bicycle, even accepting that it is a kind of futility, which can be stolen without this being abnormal or serious in their eyes, even if it is an extraordinary, personal and precious tool.
Mathieu Labey, CEO of Wheelskeep, February 2025.
