How can Nantes offer renting services such as carts, cargo bikes, Light Electric Vehicles (LEV), and/or other services in order to help people live and move without a car?

This question is pulsing as Nantes’ urban development agency, SAMOA, develops new neighbourhoods focused on reducing car dependency for urban mobility in the city centre and around the city. To achieve this, the neighbourhoods seek to promote proximity to essential services, creating pedestrian-friendly spaces, expanding bike infrastructure and enhancing public transportation. The city is also looking to offer specific mobility services to address punctual needs such as carrying heavy loads or transporting passengers with low mobility, seeking to provide an alternative to the car that can supply the needs of citizens when cycling is not an option.

Within the scope of RAPTOR, Nantes was paired with Sanka Cycle, an active mobility startup which has developed the BOB, a 4-wheel, 2-seater, electric-assist bicycle that is safer and, in some instances, more comfortable than a bike. Over the course of two months, Sanka piloted three BOBs across different locations in Nantes, having them used in diverse situations (individuals and companies).

As part of a joint effort between Sanka, EIT Urban Mobility and Humankind, we developed and executed a Citizen Experience research to identify the situations in which the BOBs can actually replace car trips and gather insights on the users’ experience.

Using mixed qualitative research methods (interviews –in-depth, flash street conversations and group interviews–, on-site observations, diary studies and live testing) conducted by SANKA and Paul Mates –of EIT Urban Mobility’s Masters network– under the guidance and strategy of Humankind, the project unpacked that one of the biggest challenges in the context of Nantes are the misconceptions about the size of the BOB.

The research clearly shows positive results when the BOB is made available for testers, hence the majority of the ideas went in the direction of either making the BOB available through rental services; more visible when being used (stronger communication campaigns and easy access to further information about it once interacting with it on the street) and also making the BOB part of new developments, schools or music festivals and other large-scale events.