Vienna, Austria has had a system based on the same technology for a few more years than Paris, albeit on a much smaller scale (600 bikes vs. 20,600). The bikes are much more rugged here: They're single-gear and have solid rubber tires -- surely less comfortable, but also much easier to maintain.
In either city, to rent one you need to provide a debit or credit card -- so I don't quite get how they can be incurring such high losses from lost/stolen bikes.
Wikipedia says "The credit/debit card will be charged €150 if a rented bike is not returned" in Paris. In Vienna, you'll receive a €600 bill.
A previous attempt in Vienna with an anonymous system where you just had to deposit a €2 coin to unlock the bike failed miserably: Hundreds were stolen within the first week.
In either city, to rent one you need to provide a debit or credit card -- so I don't quite get how they can be incurring such high losses from lost/stolen bikes. Wikipedia says "The credit/debit card will be charged €150 if a rented bike is not returned" in Paris. In Vienna, you'll receive a €600 bill.
A previous attempt in Vienna with an anonymous system where you just had to deposit a €2 coin to unlock the bike failed miserably: Hundreds were stolen within the first week.