Folding electric bikes at work: the Paris metro, the RER, trains, offices and bike parking
An employee who strings together a few kilometres by bike, an RER train and a meeting runs into two sets of rules that product pages do not mention: those of the transport operators, which admit at all hours only a folding bike that is folded, and those of the code de la construction (the French construction code) and its implementing arrêté, which count parking spaces of 1.5 m². Between the two, the word foldable covers two very different realities: a frame that hinges in the middle, or handlebars that fold down. The dimensions published by the manufacturers are set against the conditions of the RATP (the operator of the Paris metro) and the SNCF (the French national railway company), the texts on bicycle parking and the standards. Page updated as at 10 October 2026.
Folding, trains and bike parking: the key points
None of the Tern models in the catalogue Wander cites, the GSD S10 and R14 and, depending on needs, the HSD, the Quick Haul and the Orox, is a folding bike in the sense in which transport operators understand it. On the GSD and the HSD, it is the handlebar column that folds down: width and height drop sharply, length barely at all. Folded, the GSD still measures 185 cm long, whereas the SNCF accepts a folded bike only if it fits within 90 × 130 × 50 cm and expressly excludes longtails from its trains. On the metro, buses and trams, the RATP admits only a folding bike that is folded. The compact format therefore serves first and foremost for parking, upright storage and the lift; to combine the bike with the train, the realistic solutions are parking at the station or a pool bike at each site.
On the building side, the obligation to fit certain buildings with bicycle parking rests on articles L. 113-18 to L. 113-20 of the code de la construction et de l'habitation and has been running since the end of 2022, with no deadline ahead. In an existing building in tertiary use, it is triggered from ten parking spaces intended for workers, for a minimum of 10% of the headcount present at any one time; in a new building in industrial or tertiary use equipped with parking spaces for employees, it applies with no threshold of spaces, for a minimum of 15% of the number of employees present at any one time. The regulatory floor on dimensions comes down to two rules, 1.5 m² per space excluding clearance space and a minimum of two spaces; the other dimensions, including the 2 m usable length of a lift, come from the ministerial guide, which is design guidance and not an enforceable text.
Folding or foldable: what the word really covers
Two very different mechanisms hide behind the same word. On a folding bike in the usual sense, it is the frame that hinges: the machine folds in on itself and its length is divided. On the longtails and compact bikes in the Tern range that Wander cites, the frame does not fold. Tern's support documentation describes what really folds: the handlebar column, which the manufacturer calls the handlepost, folds down in a few seconds, and on the GSD a strap placed under the top tube holds it in place. You gain width and height, next to nothing in length.
The third-generation Tern GSD S10 illustrates this to the centimetre. Its spec sheet gives 192 × 68 × 118 cm unfolded and 185 × 46 × 88 cm once folded, in five seconds. Length loses only seven centimetres, under four per cent, while width goes from 68 to 46 cm and height from 118 to 88 cm. The GSD R14 publishes the same dimensions, at 38.77 kg against 37.32 kg for the S10. The third-generation HSD S9i follows the same logic on a shorter scale: 174 cm long on its spec sheet, 166 × 42 × 87 cm folded, at 28.9 kg.
The other two families in the catalogue publish no folded dimension. The spec sheet for the first-generation Quick Haul P9 gives 172.5 × 70 × 102.5 cm and 22.9 kg, and mentions a rack that allows vertical parking. That of the Orox S12 gives, in size M, 214 × 82 × 107.5 cm and 37.1 kg, with neither folding nor vertical parking announced. The absence of a folded dimension on a manufacturer's spec sheet is information in itself: a model presented as compact is not necessarily foldable.
To gauge the gap with a frame that actually folds, the Tern range itself provides the point of comparison. The fourth-generation Vektron P10 folds in ten seconds to 41 × 86 × 68 cm, at 22.2 kg; the manufacturer does not publish its unfolded length. Its three folded dimensions fit within the 90 × 130 × 50 cm envelope that the SNCF sets for a folded bike, which no model in the catalogue does. The Vektron is not in the catalogue Wander currently cites: we mention it as a benchmark, not as an offer.
On the machines in the catalogue, compact means a handlepost that folds down, a saddle that drops, twenty-inch wheels on the HSD and the Quick Haul, and for several models upright parking; foldable, in the sense of a hinged frame that lets you take the metro at any hour, remains the preserve of another category of bike.
| Model | Place in the catalogue cited by Wander | Unfolded dimensions | Folded dimensions | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tern GSD S10, generation 3 | Reference model | 192 × 68 × 118 cm | 185 × 46 × 88 cm, 5-second fold | 37.32 kg |
| Tern GSD R14, generation 3 | Reference model | 192 × 68 × 118 cm | 185 × 46 × 88 cm, 5-second fold | 38.77 kg |
| Tern HSD S9i, generation 3 | Depending on needs | 174 × 112 × 68 cm | 166 × 42 × 87 cm, 5-second fold | 28.9 kg |
| Tern Quick Haul P9, generation 1 | Depending on needs | 172.5 × 70 × 102.5 cm | no folded dimension published | 22.9 kg |
| Tern Orox S12, generation 1, size M | Depending on needs | 214 × 82 × 107.5 cm | no folded dimension published | 37.1 kg |
| Tern Vektron P10, generation 4 | Outside the catalogue, point of comparison | not published on the spec sheet | 41 × 86 × 68 cm, 10-second fold | 22.2 kg |
Can you take a folding bike on the Paris metro, the RER or the train?
Combining the bike with public transport is the implicit promise of the word foldable. The rules that count here are the conditions published by each operator, and they differ depending on whether the line used is run by the RATP or by the SNCF.
On the RATP network, the published rule, in its version amended on 27 August 2026, is simple. A folding bike that is folded is admitted across the whole network, metro, RER, bus, tram and funicular, provided it stays folded and held by hand at all times inside the vehicles; it may be unfolded to be pushed along the corridors, but it may not be ridden. A non-folding bike is admitted neither on the metro, nor on buses, nor on trams. It is accepted on the RER, in the zones run by the RATP, that is from Saint-Germain-en-Laye to Marne-la-Vallée-Chessy and Boissy-Saint-Léger on line A and from Gare du Nord to Robinson and Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse on line B, in the dedicated spaces: all day on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, and on other days before 6.30am, between 9am and 4.30pm and after 7pm. Outside those time slots or those spaces, an unfolded bike, even a stationary one, can lead to a fine.
On SNCF trains, Transilien included, the conditions published by SNCF Voyageurs, updated on 30 September 2026, open up three possibilities, subject to available space: the bike in one piece, stowed in the dedicated spaces; the folding bike, folded, if it measures at most 90 × 130 × 50 cm; and the dismantled bike in a cover of the same dimensions. In Île-de-France, an unfolded bike travels free of charge from Monday to Friday before 6.30am, between 9.30am and 4.30pm and after 7.30pm, and with no time restriction on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, except at very busy times. The same conditions state that only standard bikes are accepted on board and that the carriage of recumbent bikes, tricycles, tandems, cargo bikes, longtails and trailers is not authorised. On an RER line, the applicable rule therefore depends on which operator runs the section used.
Set against the dimensions in the previous section, these conditions leave little room for interpretation. Folded, a GSD measures 185 cm long and an HSD 166 cm: both exceed the 130 cm of the SNCF envelope, and the GSD in any case falls into the longtail category, excluded from its trains. Tern itself presents the HSD as a “vélo cargo électrique compact” (compact electric cargo bike), a category that the same conditions exclude. Tern's documentation does mention upright parking as an aid to taking a lift or a train, but it is the operator's conditions, not the manufacturer's spec sheet, that decide access on board. The RATP, for its part, publishes no maximum dimension for a folded bike; we found no statement from it that treats a bike whose handlepost alone folds down as a folded bike, and we advise against building a daily journey on such a reading. That leaves the RER in the zones run by the RATP, which admits a non-folding bike at off-peak times without expressly excluding any category: it is an occasional possibility, not a way of organising work, since peak hours are excluded.
For a longer-distance business journey, the SNCF conditions announce a change: from 13 December 2026, bikes whose overall dimensions exceed those of a conventional bike, that is at most 185 cm in length and 6 cm in tyre width, join the list of bikes prohibited on board TGV INOUI and INTERCITÉS trains. An unfolded bike currently travels on them with compulsory reservation, at €10 per bike per journey on TGV INOUI. The same conditions prohibit charging the batteries of bikes and other motorised devices on board trains, even when detached.
In practice, a company that wants to allow its employees to combine the bike and the train has three options, which can be used together. The first is parking at the station: Île-de-France Mobilités (the Île-de-France transport authority) offers closed, secure Parkings Vélos, accessible with a Navigo pass, free for holders of an annual Navigo subscription and otherwise charged at €2 a day, €10 a month or €30 a year, some offering sockets for charging electrically assisted bikes. Spaces suited to large bikes have to be checked bike park by bike park: when it opened in June 2024, the one at the Gare du Nord had, according to the Ville de Paris, about thirty spaces for special bikes, including extended bikes, out of 1,186. The second is to assign a pool bike to each site, so that the employee makes the trip between sites by train and finds a bike on arrival, without taking a bike on board. The third is the folding bike with a hinged frame, which is not currently in the catalogue Wander cites: if this need is central for your teams, it is better to know it from the study stage, since no model in the catalogue meets it.
| Network | Folding bike, folded | Unfolded bike | Longtails and cargo bikes |
|---|---|---|---|
| RATP metro, buses and trams | Admitted at all hours, folded and held by hand | Not admitted | Not admitted, like any non-folding bike |
| RER, zones run by the RATP | Admitted at all hours, folded and held by hand | Admitted in the dedicated spaces: Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays all day; on weekdays before 6.30am, from 9am to 4.30pm and after 7pm | No express exclusion in the published rule |
| Transilien and SNCF trains in Île-de-France | Admitted with no time restriction if it measures at most 90 × 130 × 50 cm folded | Free on weekdays before 6.30am, from 9.30am to 4.30pm and after 7.30pm, with no restriction on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, except at very busy times | Not authorised |
| TGV INOUI | Admitted as luggage if it measures at most 90 × 130 × 50 cm folded | Compulsory reservation, €10 per bike per journey | Not authorised; from 13 December 2026, over 185 cm long or tyres wider than 6 cm also prohibited |
The bicycle parking obligation rests on articles L. 113-18 to L. 113-20 of the code de la construction
The old reference is still in circulation. The obligation to install secure bicycle parking infrastructure no longer rests on article L. 111-5-2 of the code de la construction et de l'habitation (the French construction and housing code). It was recodified into articles L. 113-18 to L. 113-20 of the same code by ordonnance n° 2020-71 du 29 janvier 2020 (a French government ordinance made under parliamentary authorisation). Articles L. 113-18 and L. 113-20 have been in force since 1 July 2021 and carry no expiry date. Citing the old article in a specification or an internal note is not a serious fault, but it is a sign that the document has not been updated in five years, and an attentive project client will notice.
How the two articles divide the ground matters when working out whether you are concerned. Article L. 113-18 covers new build and takes in four families of buildings: housing developments; buildings in industrial or tertiary use whose main purpose is a place of work and which are equipped with parking spaces intended for employees; buildings housing a public service and equipped with spaces for staff or users; and retail complexes or cinemas equipped with spaces for customers. Article L. 113-20, for its part, covers existing buildings in tertiary use made up mainly of professional premises, where they are equipped with parking spaces intended for workers. It is this second category that covers the buildings where a company already works, with no construction project at all; article R. 113-14 places the burden on the owner of the building or, for their lots, on the co-owner.
The detailed rules were set by décret n° 2022-930 du 25 juin 2022 (the implementing decree) and by the arrêté du 30 juin 2022 (the ministerial order made under it). The décret specifies, in article R. 113-11 of the code de la construction et de l'habitation, that the word vélo (bicycle) there covers both cycles and pedal-assist cycles. It gave article R. 113-14 its wording in force since 26 December 2022, which sets the trigger threshold for the obligation specific to existing buildings in tertiary use: it covers any owner of a building whose car park includes at least ten spaces intended for workers, as well as any co-owner whose lots include at least ten of those spaces in the private portion. Below ten spaces, this obligation does not apply to an existing building, and the same ten-space threshold applies where the annexed car park is the subject of works (article R. 113-13). For a new building, by contrast, the table annexed to the arrêté du 30 juin 2022 sets no threshold of spaces: it is enough that the building is equipped with parking spaces intended for employees.
The proportions appear in the table annexed to the arrêté du 30 juin 2022, and they differ according to whether the building is new or existing. For a new building in industrial or tertiary use whose main purpose is a place of work, the minimum number of bicycle spaces corresponds to 15% of the total number of employees present in the building at any one time. For an existing building in tertiary use, as for a building whose car park is the subject of works, the proportion is 10% of the total number of workers present at any one time. Article 2 of the arrêté specifies that, for the co-owner referred to in paragraph II of article R. 113-14, this minimum is zero where the minimum set for the building has already been reached; otherwise, it corresponds to 10% of the total number of workers present at any one time in their premises, and may be reduced so as not to exceed the building's minimum.
Two mechanisms at the margins are worth knowing about. Article 4 of the arrêté sets at 2% the ratio referred to in the first paragraph of article R. 113-13 of the code de la construction et de l'habitation, which ties the triggering of the obligation during works to the cost of those works measured against the value of the building. And article R. 113-17 provides, for the obligations in articles L. 113-19 and L. 113-20 only, for two grounds of derogation: the absence of any available space accessible to a cyclist from the public highway, unless access can reasonably be adapted, and the case where the removal of car parking spaces that the installation would entail would prevent compliance with the minimum requirements of the plan local d'urbanisme (the local land-use plan).
The code also sets what a store must contain. Article R. 113-12 requires fixed devices allowing bicycles to be stabilised and locked by the frame and at least one wheel, on the same unité foncière (land holding) as the building, preferably on the ground floor or the first basement level. Article R. 113-16 requires, for workers, access through a securely locking door and, where the infrastructure is located outside the building, that it be covered, lit and enclosed. These two requirements weigh more in preventing theft than any consideration of footprint.
One last check is essential. Article L. 151-30 of the code de l'urbanisme (the French planning code), in force in its current wording since 1 July 2021, provides that where the rules of the plan local d'urbanisme impose requirements on motor-vehicle parking, they set sufficient requirements for bicycles in respect of residential and office buildings, in compliance with the conditions laid down in article L. 113-18 of the code de la construction et de l'habitation. The plan local d'urbanisme may therefore be more demanding than the code de la construction, in which case it is the more onerous standard that applies. Before sizing a store, read the rules for the zone.
No cut-off date ahead. We looked for a 1 January 2025 compliance deadline for existing tertiary buildings in décret n° 2022-930, in the wording of the articles and in the ministerial guide: it appears nowhere. The obligation came into force at the end of December 2022 and has been running since. A supplier who announces an imminent deadline is either mistaken or selling you urgency.
Bike storage at work: what a bike store can take, in centimetres
The regulatory floor on dimensions is short. Article 1 of the arrêté du 30 juin 2022 lays down two rules only: each bicycle space entails a minimum parking area of 1.5 m², excluding clearance space, and a parking installation comprises at least two spaces. Every other dimension you come across on projects comes from the guide “Stationnement des vélos dans les constructions” published by the ministère de la Transition écologique (the French ministry for the ecological transition), which is design guidance. Invoking a dimension from the guide against a project client as though it had regulatory force will therefore be challenged.
The guide takes a perpendicular parking space to be 0.75 m wide and 2 m deep, with an access aisle of 1.80 m, and a space for a single bicycle set between two obstructions, whether walls, columns or guard rails, to observe a minimum of 90 cm wide and 2 m deep. The height clear of any obstruction, in aisles as in spaces, is at least 2.00 m. It sizes circulation for all cycles under 0.80 m wide and 2.40 m long, which takes in conventional bicycles fitted with the usual accessories, and recommends, wherever possible, provision for larger cycles, up to 1.20 m wide and 2.60 m long. Finally, it recommends circulation routes at least 1.20 m wide and doors at least 0.90 m wide. As a rough guide, it estimates that seven bicycle spaces correspond in area to one car parking space.
The most useful yardstick for judging a bike comes a little further on: the guide notes that the length of a conventional adult bicycle varies from 1.80 m to 2 m and that handlebar width is 0.65 m on average. At 192 cm long, the Tern GSD stays within that envelope; at 68 cm wide at the handlebars, it exceeds the average width by only three centimetres. The HSD, at 174 cm, and the Quick Haul, at 172.5 cm, are even shorter than the bottom of the range. The Orox, at 214 cm, on the other hand exceeds the 2 m depth of a standard space.
For the GSD, however, it only just fits. A perpendicular parking space is 0.75 m wide for handlebars of 0.68 m, which is seven centimetres of clearance in total. The guide also requires a centre-to-centre spacing of at least 75 cm between two bicycles set side by side and of at least 38 cm between the centreline of a bicycle and a side obstruction. The bike fits on paper, but manoeuvring 37 kg with seven centimetres of margin remains awkward day to day. On a real project it is better to aim for the stand-alone space between two obstructions, at 0.90 m, or for areas set aside for special bikes.
The guide indeed explicitly places extended bicycles, which it refers to by the term longtail, among special bikes. It provides for them areas kept clear of any floor-mounted furniture, with fixed devices on their perimeter allowing locking between 0.30 m and 1 m above the ground, and recommends, at places of work, at least one additional space for a special bike from 20 ordinary bicycle spaces, plus one space for each further block of 30 spaces. This characterisation has a limit: no specific regulatory quota follows from it. The applicable percentage remains the one in the table annexed to the arrêté, calculated on headcount, with no distinction by type of bicycle.
Folding, finally, creates no additional regulatory space, since the rules count spaces of 1.5 m² and not bicycles squeezed up against one another. Bringing the width of a GSD down from 68 to 46 cm serves other purposes: storage against a wall in a store room or a service corridor, seasonal storage of part of the fleet, or carrying the bike in a people carrier or a larger vehicle, a case Tern's documentation mentions and which is useful, for instance, for a return to the workshop after a breakdown. These are operating gains, not compliance gains.
| Item | Reference dimension | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Area per space | 1.5 m² excluding clearance space | Regulatory, article 1 of the arrêté du 30 juin 2022 |
| Minimum number of spaces | 2 | Regulatory, article 1 of the arrêté du 30 juin 2022 |
| Perpendicular parking space | 0.75 m wide, 2 m deep | Ministerial guide, design guidance |
| Stand-alone space between two obstructions | 0.90 m wide, 2 m deep | Ministerial guide, design guidance |
| Access aisle, perpendicular parking | 1.80 m | Ministerial guide, design guidance |
| Height clear of any obstruction | 2.00 m | Ministerial guide, design guidance |
| Circulation envelope adopted | 0.80 m wide, 2.40 m long | Ministerial guide, design guidance |
| Provision for larger cycles | up to 1.20 m wide, 2.60 m long | Recommendation in the guide |
| Width of circulation routes and doors | 1.20 m for circulation routes, 0.90 m for doors | Recommendation in the guide |
| Special bikes at a place of work | 1 space from 20 ordinary spaces, then 1 for each further block of 30 | Recommendation in the guide |
| Lift serving a parking area | usable internal length of 2 m or more | Ministerial guide, design guidance |
| Access ramp | gradient at or below 12%, 16% over 4 m at most, 20% over 1 m at most | Ministerial guide, design guidance |
Office, corridor, lift: taking a bike up to the upper floors
When a company has no store on the ground floor, it is tempting to take the bikes up into the offices. The texts cited above organise parking infrastructure; a bike kept in an office depends instead on the lease, the building's rules and the company's internal rules. It is then centimetres, weight and the battery that decide.
The lift is the first test. The ministerial guide considers a parking area accessible by lift only if the route from outside is manageable pushing a bicycle and if the car offers a usable internal length of at least 2 m. A GSD measures 192 cm unfolded and 185 cm folded: folding changes next to nothing in this test, which takes ten minutes with a tape measure. Upright parking changes it more. Tern states that the third-generation GSD can be stood on end and wheeled upright into small lifts, and presents the HSD in the same way; the Quick Haul P9 spec sheet mentions a rack that allows vertical parking. None of these sources publishes the footprint or the height of the bike once upright: the check has to be done on site, in the actual lift car. The Orox, at 214 cm and with no vertical parking announced, exceeds the 2 m usable length.
Next comes weight. The guide specifies that its ramp values, 12% in general, 16% over 4 m at most and 20% over 1 m at most, take account of a bicycle carrying less than 20 kg, luggage or a child in a suitable seat. A GSD weighs 37.32 kg empty, an HSD 28.9 kg: lifting either of them to stand it upright, or manoeuvring it along an office corridor, bears no relation to handling a town bike. The guide moreover sets as a principle that a bike can be brought to the parking area and stored there without having to be carried. If the store is not at street level, the issue is not footprint but effort.
That leaves the battery. The INRS (the French institute for occupational health and safety) has published a guidance sheet, ED 160, on lithium-ion batteries in equipment at the workplace; the news item presenting it, updated on 15 October 2025, expressly cites electric bikes among the equipment whose battery, of intermediate energy, lies between 100 Wh and 1 kWh. The institute notes that these batteries, generally removable, may be charged in various places that are not always appropriate, and recommends a dedicated charging room or cabinet, fire-resistant, ventilated and fitted with a monitoring or detection system, on dedicated circuits with an emergency cut-off device, with employees trained in the use of the charging area. The ministerial guide for its part recommends, ideally, a power supply in the bike store, together with lockers that reduce the risk of theft of removable batteries. Charging a battery under a desk is therefore not a default solution: it is a question to be dealt with by the company's risk prevention function.
Standards: what they say and what they do not impose
Standards are not compulsory by default. Article 17 of décret n° 2009-697 du 16 juin 2009 relatif à la normalisation (the decree on standardisation) provides that standards apply on a voluntary basis, and that they may be made compulsory by an arrêté signed by the minister responsible for industry and by the other minister or ministers concerned. In other words, nobody can hold a compulsory standard against you without citing the arrêté that makes it compulsory. A supplier who writes “compulsory standard” without an arrêté reference is being inaccurate.
The safety standard for the electrically power assisted cycle is NF EN 15194+A1, published in August 2023, in force, 146 pages, which replaced NF EN 15194 of October 2017, now withdrawn. It describes a cycle whose motor has a maximum continuous rated power of 0.25 kW and whose assistance is cut off when the vehicle reaches 25 km/h, or earlier if the rider stops pedalling. It excludes from its scope cycles intended for hire from unattended stations. That last point deserves careful reading by any company contemplating making a fleet available without supervision. The same definition of the pedal-assist cycle appears in French positive law at article R. 311-1 of the code de la route (the French highway code), in its version in force since 25 July 2026, resulting from décret n° 2026-652 du 22 juillet 2026.
For bicycle safety requirements, the reference is the ISO 4210 series. Its part 2, published in France as NF EN ISO 4210-2 in January 2023, in force, 50 pages, sets the safety and performance requirements for city and trekking bicycles, young adult bicycles, mountain bicycles and racing bicycles, and its abstract states that its scope includes folding bicycles. The EN 17860 series, entitled “Carrier cycles”, includes a part 2 devoted to lightweight two-wheeled carrier cycles and their mechanical aspects, published as NF EN 17860-2+A1 on 15 July 2026; the Norm'Info record does not specify its scope, and it is for the manufacturer to declare which standard, and which part, its machine complies with.
What these standards do not provide matters just as much. The records published by AFNOR (the French standards body) for these three standards mention neither a folded dimension nor conditions of access to public transport: those conditions are the ones published by the RATP and the SNCF. A spec sheet that displays “foldable” or “compliant” therefore says nothing, in itself, about what an operator will accept on board. Nor is it enough, in a specification, to write “complies with EN 17860”, a form of words that designates no part: you have to require the part and the edition applicable to the type of bike ordered, and the manufacturer's corresponding declaration.
The edition dates of the standards cited here were checked on the AFNOR and Norm'Info records on 10 October 2026. Before writing a reference into a contractual document, have the edition in force confirmed with AFNOR.
Theft and insurance: what the compact format does not settle
Theft remains the primary risk for a parked fleet, and the compact format changes nothing about it in itself. The ministerial guide cites, for 2020, about 226,000 households that were victims of a theft or attempted theft, for 194,000 bikes stolen, according to the 2021 “Cadre de vie et sécurité” survey report of the ministère de l'Intérieur (the French interior ministry), and notes that theft is often a reason for giving up cycling.
The locking rules converge. The code de la construction requires fixed devices allowing bicycles to be locked by the frame and at least one wheel. The ministerial guide gives as a benchmark an inverted-U stand 65 cm to 1 m long and 80 cm high, and rules out wheel-only racks, which do not allow the frame to be locked. Île-de-France Mobilités recommends a U-lock and locking the frame and the front wheel to a fixed point, even in a closed bike park and for a short time. The models in the range add their own equipment: the GSD S10 spec sheet mentions an ABUS or AXA frame lock keyed alike with the battery, electronic locking via the Bosch Kiox 300 display, and a Bosch Connect module with GPS and GSM connectivity that offers a theft alarm subject to a Flow+ subscription, with a free twelve-month trial on activation.
Marking, for its part, is an obligation. Since 1 January 2021, every new bike sold by a trader must be identified, and since 1 July 2021 every second-hand bike sold by a trader: a unique identifier is marked visibly on the frame, by engraving or adhesive label, and the bike is registered in the Fichier national unique des cycles identifiés (the French national register of identified cycles), whose data are used to return it to its owner in the event of theft. For a fleet financed through crédit-bail, the question of in whose name each bike is registered is worth raising as soon as the fleet is put into service.
On insurance, an electrically assisted bike that meets the definition in the code de la route, a motor of 0.25 kW at most and assistance cut off at 25 km/h, is not subject to compulsory insurance, according to the justice.fr factsheet, which draws on Service-Public; third-party liability insurance nonetheless remains strongly recommended. For a company fleet, two distinct questions therefore arise: insurance of the bike against theft and damage, and the third-party liability of the person riding it, during work as well as, for a company bike, during private use. They are dealt with together with the company's insurer and, for an asset financed through crédit-bail, according to the conditions of the finance provider. Wander gives no insurance advice.
Wander Fleet's role, and what it excludes
Wander Fleet introduces Île-de-France companies to sociétés de crédit-bail (French finance-lease companies) able to finance equipping their employees with electrically assisted company bikes or pool bikes. That activity corresponds to that of an indicateur within the meaning of point 2° of article R. 519-2 of the code monétaire et financier (the French monetary and financial code), that is, a person who does no more than put the client and the finance provider in touch with one another. On that basis, Wander is not registered with ORIAS (the French register of banking, insurance and finance intermediaries) and has no reason to be.
Three limits follow. Wander does not finance and does not lend. Wander does not negotiate the terms of the transaction and sends no given client any figure for a monthly payment, a term, a residual value or a security, the calculators on this site remaining self-service tools built on published, editable assumptions: binding pricing, structuring and acceptance of the application are matters for the finance provider alone, a société de crédit-bail, separate from Wander, which remains the sole decision-maker. Finally, Wander is no substitute either for your accountant or for your legal adviser.
The word leasing is used on this site as a market term, because it is the one directors use. The exact legal characterisation of the transaction we present is crédit-bail within the meaning of article L. 313-7 of the code monétaire et financier, the French finance lease, which differs from a simple rental in that it carries a purchase option for the lessee. That distinction has accounting and tax consequences for your accountancy firm to assess.
No financing agreement has been signed to date between Wander and any finance provider. We therefore claim no partnership, and any page on this site that suggested otherwise would need correcting: please tell us if you find one.
On neighbouring subjects, our page on the forfait mobilités durables (the French sustainable-mobility allowance) sets out why a fleet made available by the employer gives rise to no entitlement to that allowance, which covers the costs of an employee using their own cycle or a mobility service they pay for themselves. Our page on electric bike grants for an Île-de-France company takes stock of public grants. Our page on the Paris ZFE and Crit'Air rules examines what actually applies to a company car. And our page on the full cost of a bike fleet deals with the cost items.
Wander Fleet's role as business introducer
Wander SAS operates Wander Fleet and acts as a business introducer to Île-de-France companies equipping their employees with electrically power assisted company bikes or pool bikes. Financing is provided by a société de crédit-bail, separate from Wander. Wander presents the application to those institutions without being a party to the financing. Wander grants no financing, is neither a credit institution nor a société de financement (a French regulated finance company), is not an intermédiaire en opérations de banque et en services de paiement (a French regulated banking and payment services intermediary), is not registered with ORIAS and gives no credit advice. Our involvement is that of the simple indicateur referred to in point 2° of article R. 519-2 of the code monétaire et financier. No rental amount is set or passed on by Wander: the financial terms are communicated to you directly by the institution you select, subject to acceptance of the application.
Folding electric bikes at work: frequently asked questions
Can a folded bike travel on the metro or the RER at any time?
Yes, if it is a folding bike and it is folded. The RATP admits a folding bike that is folded across its whole network, metro, RER, bus, tram and funicular, provided it stays folded and held by hand inside the vehicles. On SNCF trains, Transilien included, a folded bike is admitted if it measures at most 90 × 130 × 50 cm. The Tern models in the catalogue Wander cites do not fall into this category: folded, a GSD still measures 185 cm long and an HSD 166 cm, and neither the Quick Haul nor the Orox publishes a folded dimension.
Can you take a longtail on the Transilien or the RER?
Not on SNCF trains: its conditions, updated on 30 September 2026, accept only standard bikes and expressly exclude cargo bikes and longtails. In the RER zones run by the RATP, on lines A and B, a non-folding bike is admitted in the dedicated spaces all day on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, and on other days before 6.30am, between 9am and 4.30pm and after 7pm, with no express exclusion of any category. It is an occasional possibility, not a basis for daily journeys, since peak hours are excluded.
Does a longtail fit into a standard bike store?
Yes, but only just. A third-generation Tern GSD S10 is 192 cm long and 68 cm wide at the handlebars, while the ministerial guide puts a conventional adult bicycle at between 1.80 m and 2 m long with handlebars 0.65 m wide on average. As a perpendicular parking space is 0.75 m wide, that leaves seven centimetres of clearance, which is geometrically sufficient and practically uncomfortable. It is better to aim for a stand-alone space between two obstructions, 0.90 m wide and 2 m deep, or for areas set aside for special bikes, a category in which the guide places extended bicycles. An Orox, at 214 cm, exceeds the 2 m depth of a standard space.
Is my company covered by the bicycle parking obligation?
It depends on the building. For an existing building in tertiary use, the trigger test is set out in article R. 113-14 of the code de la construction et de l'habitation: the obligation falls on any owner of a building whose car park includes at least ten spaces intended for workers, as well as on any co-owner whose lots include at least ten of those spaces in the private portion, for a minimum of 10% of the total number of workers present at any one time. For a new building in industrial or tertiary use whose main purpose is a place of work and which is equipped with parking spaces for employees, there is no threshold of spaces and the minimum is 15% of the number of employees present at any one time. You also have to check the rules of the plan local d'urbanisme, which may be more demanding under article L. 151-30 of the code de l'urbanisme.
Is there a deadline for bringing buildings into compliance?
No, and the opposite is true: the obligation is already in force. We looked for a 1 January 2025 compliance deadline in décret n° 2022-930 du 25 juin 2022, in the wording of the articles of the code de la construction and in the ministerial guide, and it appears nowhere. Article R. 113-14 has been in force since 26 December 2022. A provider who announces an imminent cut-off date is either mistaken or manufacturing artificial commercial urgency.
Can the bikes' batteries be charged at the office?
The question is a matter of risk prevention more than of parking. In presenting its ED 160 guidance sheet on lithium-ion batteries in equipment at the workplace, the INRS expressly cites electric bikes and recommends a dedicated charging room or cabinet, fire-resistant, ventilated and fitted with a monitoring or detection system, on dedicated circuits with an emergency cut-off device. The ministerial guide for its part recommends a power supply in the bike store, with lockers against the theft of removable batteries. The SNCF moreover prohibits charging a bike battery on board its trains.
Can Wander tell me what my financing will cost?
No, that is outside our role. Wander Fleet acts as an indicateur within the meaning of point 2° of article R. 519-2 of the code monétaire et financier, outside ORIAS registration: we introduce, we do not finance, we do not negotiate and we send no given client any figure for a monthly payment, a term, a residual value or a security; the calculators on this site, self-service and built on published, editable assumptions, are not a figure addressed to anyone. Binding pricing and acceptance of the application are matters for the finance provider alone, a société de crédit-bail, separate from Wander. No financing agreement has been signed to date and we therefore claim no partnership.
Where these figures come from
Every figure is tied to its source and to the date on which we checked it. Texts change: if you spot a discrepancy, write to us and we will correct it.
- Légifrance, article L. 113-18 of the code de la construction et de l'habitation, created by ordonnance n° 2020-71 du 29 janvier 2020, in force since 1 July 2021 www.legifrance.gouv.fr/codes/article_lc/LEGIARTI000041563741 accessed on 10/10/2026
- Légifrance, article L. 113-20 of the code de la construction et de l'habitation, existing buildings in tertiary use, in force since 1 July 2021, with no expiry date www.legifrance.gouv.fr/codes/article_lc/LEGIARTI000041563745 accessed on 10/10/2026
- Légifrance, article R. 113-12 of the code de la construction et de l'habitation, fixed devices for locking by the frame and at least one wheel, same unité foncière, preferably on the ground floor or the first basement level, in force since 26 December 2022 www.legifrance.gouv.fr/codes/article_lc/LEGIARTI000045966363 accessed on 10/10/2026
- Légifrance, article R. 113-14 of the code de la construction et de l'habitation, threshold of ten spaces intended for workers, wording resulting from décret n° 2022-930 du 25 juin 2022, in force since 26 December 2022 www.legifrance.gouv.fr/codes/article_lc/LEGIARTI000045966366 accessed on 10/10/2026
- Légifrance, article R. 113-16 of the code de la construction et de l'habitation, securely locking door, outdoor infrastructure covered, lit and enclosed, in force since 26 December 2022 www.legifrance.gouv.fr/codes/article_lc/LEGIARTI000045966357 accessed on 10/10/2026
- Légifrance, article R. 113-17 of the code de la construction et de l'habitation, grounds of derogation from the obligations in articles L. 113-19 and L. 113-20, in force since 26 December 2022 www.legifrance.gouv.fr/codes/article_lc/LEGIARTI000045966352 accessed on 10/10/2026
- Légifrance, décret n° 2022-930 du 25 juin 2022 relatif à la sécurisation des infrastructures de stationnement des vélos dans les bâtiments, including article R. 113-11 defining the vélo as a cycle or pedal-assist cycle and article R. 113-13 (annexed car park of at least ten spaces that is the subject of works) www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/id/JORFTEXT000045964197 accessed on 10/10/2026
- Légifrance, arrêté du 30 juin 2022 relatif à la sécurisation des infrastructures de stationnement des vélos dans les bâtiments, article 1 (1.5 m² per space excluding clearance space, two spaces minimum), article 2 (co-owner's minimum, zero if the building's minimum is reached, otherwise 10%, reducible), article 4 (2% ratio) and annexed table (15% with no threshold of spaces for a new building, 10% and ten-space threshold for an existing building) www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/id/JORFTEXT000046005722 accessed on 10/10/2026
- Légifrance, article L. 151-30 of the code de l'urbanisme, bicycle parking requirements in the plan local d'urbanisme, version in force since 1 July 2021 www.legifrance.gouv.fr/codes/article_lc/LEGIARTI000041587218 accessed on 10/10/2026
- Légifrance, article 17 of décret n° 2009-697 du 16 juin 2009 relatif à la normalisation, voluntary application of standards www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/article_jo/JORFARTI000020750005 accessed on 10/10/2026
- Légifrance, article R. 311-1 of the code de la route, definition of the pedal-assist cycle, version in force since 25 July 2026, amended by décret n° 2026-652 du 22 juillet 2026 www.legifrance.gouv.fr/codes/article_lc/LEGIARTI000051682572 accessed on 10/10/2026
- Ministère de la Transition écologique, guide “Stationnement des vélos dans les constructions, dimensions et caractéristiques”, 2022 edition, space dimensions, circulation routes and doors, lift, ramps and the assumption of less than 20 kg carried, special bikes and the recommendation for places of work, stands, charging and lockers, theft figures taken from the 2021 “Cadre de vie et sécurité” survey www.ecologie.gouv.fr/sites/default/files/documents/guide-stationnement-velo-constructions.pdf accessed on 10/10/2026
- AFNOR, NF EN 15194+A1, electrically power assisted cycles, EPAC, published August 2023, status in force, 146 pages, replaces NF EN 15194 of October 2017, withdrawn www.boutique.afnor.org/en-gb/standard/nf-en-15194-a1/cycles-electrically-power-assisted-cycles-epac-bicycles/fa206501/351229 accessed on 10/10/2026
- AFNOR, NF EN ISO 4210-2, safety requirements for bicycles, part 2, published January 2023, status in force, 50 pages, scope including folding bicycles www.boutique.afnor.org/en-gb/standard/nf-en-iso-42102/cycles-safety-requirements-for-bicycles-part-2-requirements-for-city-and-tr/fa197170/351161 accessed on 10/10/2026
- AFNOR / Norm'Info, NF EN 17860-2+A1, lightweight two-wheeled carrier cycles, mechanical aspects, published on 15 July 2026 norminfo.afnor.org/norme/nf-en-17860-2a1/cycles-utilitaires-partie-2-cycles-utilitaires-legers-a-2-roues-aspects-mecaniques/317861 accessed on 10/10/2026
- RATP, “Puis-je emporter mon vélo ou ma trottinette ?”, page amended on 27 August 2026, folding bike, folded, across the whole network, non-folding bike on the RER in the RATP zone and time slots www.ratp.fr/aide-contact/questions/preparer-mon-trajet/voyage-en-regle/emporter-velo-trottinette accessed on 10/10/2026
- SNCF Voyageurs, “Votre vélo à bord”, page updated on 30 September 2026, 90 × 130 × 50 cm envelope, Transilien time slots, exclusion of cargo bikes and longtails, rule applying from 13 December 2026, ban on charging on board www.sncf-voyageurs.com/fr/voyagez-avec-nous/train-et-velo/votre-velo-a-bord accessed on 10/10/2026
- SNCF Connect, help page “Voyager en train avec son vélo”, bikes not authorised on board SNCF trains and time slots in Île-de-France www.sncf-connect.com/aide/transport-de-votre-velo accessed on 10/10/2026
- Île-de-France Mobilités, Parkings Vélos, prices and conditions for free use, sockets for electrically assisted bikes, locking advice and marking www.iledefrance-mobilites.fr/services-mobilite-alternative/parkings-velos accessed on 10/10/2026
- Ville de Paris, Gare du Nord bike park, 1,186 spaces including about thirty for special bikes, opened in June 2024, page updated on 26 August 2024 www.paris.fr/pages/un-nouveau-parking-a-la-gare-du-nord-peut-accueillir-plus-de-1-000-velos-27698 accessed on 10/10/2026
- Tern Bicycles, GSD S10 generation 3 product sheet, dimensions 192 × 68 × 118 cm and 185 × 46 × 88 cm folded, 37.32 kg, frame lock, electronic locking and Bosch Connect module www.ternbicycles.com/fr/bikes/473/gsd-s10 accessed on 10/10/2026
- Tern Bicycles, GSD R14 generation 3 product sheet, dimensions 192 × 68 × 118 cm and 185 × 46 × 88 cm folded, 38.77 kg www.ternbicycles.com/fr/bikes/473/gsd-r14 accessed on 10/10/2026
- Tern Bicycles, HSD S9i generation 3 product sheet, dimensions 174 × 112 × 68 cm and 166 × 42 × 87 cm folded, 28.9 kg, 55-406 tyres www.ternbicycles.com/fr/bikes/473/hsd-s9i accessed on 10/10/2026
- Tern Bicycles, HSD range page, presented as a “vélo cargo électrique compact” (compact electric cargo bike), upright parking and taking the lift www.ternbicycles.com/fr/bikes/hsd accessed on 10/10/2026
- Tern Bicycles, Quick Haul P9 generation 1 product sheet, dimensions 172.5 × 70 × 102.5 cm, 22.9 kg, rack allowing vertical parking, no folded dimension published www.ternbicycles.com/en/bikes/471/quick-haul-p9 accessed on 10/10/2026
- Tern Bicycles, Orox S12 generation 1 product sheet, dimensions 214 × 82 × 107.5 cm in size M, 37.1 kg, no folded dimension published www.ternbicycles.com/fr/bikes/471/orox-s12-275 accessed on 10/10/2026
- Tern Bicycles, Vektron P10 generation 4 product sheet, folded dimensions 41 × 86 × 68 cm, 10-second fold, 22.2 kg www.ternbicycles.com/fr/bikes/474/vektron-p10 accessed on 10/10/2026
- Tern Bicycles, support, “How to Transport Your Tern (E-)Bike”, folding handlepost, vertical parking of the GSD, carrying in a people carrier or a larger vehicle www.ternbicycles.com/en/support/kb/338384/how-transport-your-tern-e-bike accessed on 10/10/2026
- Tern Bicycles, press release of 25 March 2025 on the third-generation GSD, upright parking and wheeling into a lift www.ternbicycles.com/en/news/releases/2025/03/tern-launches-all-new-third-generation-gsd-cargo-bike accessed on 10/10/2026
- INRS, news item “Batterie lithium-ion de capacité intermédiaire : comment prévenir le risque incendie ?”, updated on 15 October 2025, ED 160 sheet, batteries from 100 Wh to 1 kWh including those of electric bikes, dedicated charging room or cabinet www.inrs.fr/actualites/batterie-lithium-ion-prevenir-risque-incendie.html accessed on 10/10/2026
- Ministère de la Transition écologique, “Identification des cycles”, page updated on 12 August 2025, marking compulsory since 1 January 2021 for new bikes and since 1 July 2021 for second-hand bikes sold by a trader, Fichier national unique des cycles identifiés www.ecologie.gouv.fr/politiques-publiques/identification-cycles accessed on 10/10/2026
- Justice.fr, factsheet “Doit-on s'assurer lorsqu'on circule à vélo ou en trottinette électrique ?”, updated on 13 November 2025 with Service-Public, electrically assisted bike not subject to compulsory insurance, third-party liability insurance recommended www.justice.fr/fiche/on-assurer-on-circule-velo-trottinette-electrique accessed on 10/10/2026
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