The Design 100

Among the perks offered to employees at Louis Vuitton in Paris is an annual subscription to Vélib', the French capital's popular self-service bike-sharing program. Since it debuted last July, there have been 15 million rentals. So far there are 15,000 bikes at stations located about 1,000 ft. (300 m) apart throughout the city. But JCDecaux, the company that runs the service, expects to increase the number of bicycles to 20,000 in time for spring. Subscriptions are $44 per year, or bikes can be rented by the hour. The best deal of all, though, is the quick trip: rides under 30 minutes are free.