Bikes at EPFL: parking, theft and Point Vélo

Last checked: 5 Oct 2026. Unofficial student guide, not EPFL or government advice: confirm on the linked official pages before you act. Unfamiliar abbreviation? See the Glossary.

To verify This page has 3 items that could not be confirmed on an official page. Check them yourself before relying on them:

Fast e-bikes (the kind that need a yellow number plate): EPFL's parking rules ban parking motor vehicles, moto…
Insurance: EPFL states private belongings on campus, bikes included, are not insured by EPFL. Theft of a bike …
Bike purchase subsidies: EPFL Mobility notes that some communes around campus subsidise buying a new or used b…

Companion to Getting around. Prices and hours change, so open the linked page before you go. Items marked To verify are not confirmed on an official page.

What this page is for

Where to park a private bike on the Lausanne campus, what to do if it disappears, and where to get a cheap used bike or a repair. For Lime bike-sharing (30% off per-minute rates with your EPFL email), see Getting around.

Parking on campus

Outdoor racks: EPFL counts around 3,500 bike parking spaces on campus, shown on the interactive campus map (bike parking layer). Outdoor racks are open to the general public and free.
Secure bike station (Vélostation, Quartier Nord): 180 spaces at the SwissTech Village, open 24/7 with your CAMIPRO card, free for the EPFL community. Free day lockers inside (empty them before midnight, or they are opened and cleared). No riding, eating, drinking or repairs inside (smoking and animals also banned), and do not let in people without EPFL affiliation. A free space is not guaranteed.
Where you may not park: only on racks or in dedicated bike areas. Parking inside buildings (outside authorised spaces), on street furniture or in green areas is forbidden, and EPFL may remove the bike. If a rack is full, parking right next to it is allowed as long as you do not block the way.
How long: outdoor racks only "for the necessary duration"; bike stations at most 6 consecutive months. EPFL runs removals of abandoned bikes. After a removal you have 90 days to claim your bike at the Point Vélo; after that it becomes EPFL property.
Fast e-bikes (the kind that need a yellow number plate): EPFL's parking rules ban parking motor vehicles, motorbikes and fast e-bikes without number plates anywhere on campus. Bike racks are for ordinary bikes, pedal-assist e-bikes and micro-mobility vehicles. Motorbike and scooter spaces (white ground markings with a "two-wheeled motor vehicle" sign) are free and open to everyone, for at most 72 consecutive hours; spaces signed for electric two-wheelers are free while charging, for at most 4 hours. To verify with EPFL Mobility (mobilite@epfl.ch): whether a plated fast e-bike may use the motorbike spaces. The rules name fast e-bikes separately and do not say where they park.
EPFL is not liable for theft of or damage to bikes or their contents, including in the bike station. Always lock the frame.

Sources: EPFL Mobility, Events and other cycling services · Vélostation regulations (PDF, FR/EN) · EPFL parking rules, LEX 7.5.1 of 1 January 2025 (PDF, EN), art. 3, 20 to 25, 37, 39

If your bike is missing

Check it was not moved. EPFL says to contact first the building manager (concierge) of the building where it was parked, then the Point Vélo (removed bikes are kept there for 90 days).
Theft from the secure bike station: the station regulations say to report thefts to the CAE (EPFL's 24/7 alarm and operations centre): +41 21 693 40 00, cae@epfl.ch.
File a police complaint. EPFL says you need one to get a refund from your insurance. EPFL Security also asks you to send a copy of the complaint to: VPO-SE SESA, BS 143 (Bâtiment BS), Station 4 (contact securite@epfl.ch, +41 21 693 4000).
- Online (E-plainte, Vaud): free; covers theft of a bike without a number plate (« vol de cycle non-immatriculé ») and simple theft committed in Vaud, against an unknown person. The procedure is in French. You fill in the form online, then print it, sign it and post it with a copy of your ID (complaints without an ID copy are not processed) to Police cantonale vaudoise, Secrétariat Police cantonale, Route de la Blécherette 101, 1014 Lausanne. Attach photos and purchase receipts if you have them, and keep a copy for your insurer. If the thief is not identified, you may get no further news; the police keep the file.
- At a police station: the Police Ouest lausannois stations at Ecublens (Route du Bois 2, 1024 Ecublens) and Renens (Rue de Lausanne 35, 1020 Renens) have the same hours: Monday 09:00 to 11:30 and 13:30 to 18:30, Tuesday to Thursday 08:00 to 11:30 and 13:30 to 16:30, Friday 08:00 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 16:30. Outside these hours, the Hôtel de police in Prilly (Route des Flumeaux 41, 1008 Prilly, +41 21 622 80 00) is open 24/7. The cantonal police station in Renens no longer takes complaints (EPFL Security). Police Ouest lausannois posts reduced hours on its website (for example mornings only, 08:00 to 13:00, during the 2026 school summer holidays), so check its contact page before you go. Expect half an hour to an hour at the counter; you can save time by filling in E-plainte first for bike theft.
Insurance: EPFL states private belongings on campus, bikes included, are not insured by EPFL. Theft of a bike away from home is usually a matter for your own household contents policy; see Household / RC insurance. To verify with your insurer: whether "theft outside the home" is included and what proof they want.

Before anything happens: keep a photo of the bike, its frame number and the purchase receipt. The E-plainte form asks for photos and purchase proof when available.

Full complaint guide (online or at the counter, what to bring, your copy for the insurer): see Police report and criminal complaint.

Lost your passport or permit card (for example stolen with the bike)? See Lost passport, ID or permit card for the police declaration and replacement steps.

Sources: EPFL Mobility, Stolen bikes · EPFL Security, En cas de vol (FR) · Police Ouest lausannois, Contact (FR) · Police Ouest lausannois, Déposer plainte (FR) · Vélostation regulations (PDF) · vd.ch, Déposer une plainte pénale contre inconnu (E-plainte)

Point Vélo (campus bike workshop)

Run by trained EPFL students; products and services are only for the EPFL community, on showing your CAMIPRO card. Prices as published on 5 Oct 2026:

Used bikes with lights and a lock included: students from CHF 150, staff from CHF 200. (EPFL Mobility adds that about a hundred abandoned bikes are refurbished each year and sold for CHF 150.)
Rental: from CHF 5 per day (mechanical) and CHF 15 per day (electric).
Repairs at reduced prices; new bikes and gear (helmets, lights) with discounts of up to 25% on list price; self-service tools and a bike wash during opening hours.
Free mechanics courses each semester (maximum 12 people, 17:15 to 19:00). October 2026 sessions: beginners Tue 20 and 27 Oct; intermediate Wed 21 and 28 Oct; hydraulic brakes Thu 29 Oct; women-only session Thu 22 Oct. Sign up by email to pointvelo@epfl.ch.
Minimum opening hours: during the semester Monday to Thursday 12:00 to 14:00, Friday 12:00 to 17:00; outside the semester Monday to Friday 12:00 to 13:00. Often open longer (see the calendar on the page, or the sign at the door).
Where: PV 94.0 (Bâtiment PV), Station 2, 1015 Lausanne · pointvelo@epfl.ch · +41 21 693 97 15.

Source: EPFL Mobility, Point Vélo (FR)

Also useful

Pumps: 7 self-service air pump stations on campus (interactive map).
Routes: EPFL Mobility publishes suggested routes from Renens, Prilly, Lausanne and Morges stations, and links the West Lausanne cycle map.
Bike purchase subsidies: EPFL Mobility notes that some communes around campus subsidise buying a new or used bike, with a list for Vaud (PDF, EPFL, April 2024). To verify on your commune's own page: this April 2024 list is still the one EPFL links, so amounts and conditions may have changed.
Questions: mobilite@epfl.ch.
Cycling fines: fixed fines from the federal list, for example CHF 40 for riding at night without lights on a lit road or on the pavement where prohibited; pay within 30 days. See Fines in Vaud.

Helmets, where to ride, alcohol limits and e-scooter rules: see Bike, e-bike and e-scooter road rules.

Sources

Unofficial student project. Rules and prices change, check the EPFL and police pages before you act.