[8] As of 2014[update], Vélib' was the world's 12th-largest bikesharing program by the number of bicycles in circulation; the rest of the top 18 are in Chinese cities.

After many technical issues at relaunch,[19] the City of Paris set an ultimatum to resolve service problems by September 2018[20] which seemed to work as the system is slowly recovering in January 2019.

[27] Vélib' bikes are equipped with a locking system, a front basket and always-on LED lighting powered by a front-hub dynamo.

The rental terminals also display information about neighbouring Vélib' stations, including location, number of available bicycles and open stands.

If a user arrives with a rented bicycle at a station without open spots, the terminal grants another fifteen minutes of free rental time.

[5] By August 2009, of 20,600 bikes introduced into service, about 16,000 – some 80% of the total – had been replaced due to vandalism or theft; of the latter, fully 8,000 were stolen.

[29][30] Stolen Vélib' bicycles turned up in shipping containers destined for North Africa, and in cities as far away as Brașov and Bucharest, Romania.

[26] In 2009, the New York Times reported that it was common to see Vélib' bicycles in their docking stations with flat tires, broken pedals, or other damage.

While maintenance continues to be an issue, the FT attributed this to "the difficulty of keeping up with the results of heavy use" of the "popular service", in addition to willful damage or theft.

[32] JCDecaux officials told reporters that they underestimated the degree of potential losses from vandalism and theft, which had not significantly affected earlier JCDecaux-administered bike sharing programs in France, such as Vélo'v in Lyon.

In 2009 and in 2012, repair and maintenance efforts in Paris were reportedly running at some 1,500 Vélib bicycles per day, focusing mainly on tire re-inflation.

Vandalism and theft of Vélib' cycles received a wave of press coverage in 2009, with some stories citing JCDecaux staff as their only source.

[34] Some French officials and academics said that while real problems existed, such coverage exaggerated their scope, reflecting an effort by JCDecaux to strengthen its bargaining position in financial negotiations with Paris authorities.

"It's in large part a PR issue," commented Luc Nadal of the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy.

Sociologist Bruno Marzloff interpreted the unexpected vandalism rate as a symptom of revolt against French society by the suburban and urban poor, especially immigrant youth resentful of what they perceive as privileged bo-bos or "bourgeois-bohemians", the trend-conscious French urban middle class that are seen as the principal users of the Vélib' system.

While this practice assists staff in determining which bikes require immediate attention, it depends for its success on substantial voluntary user compliance.

[40] Rental stations use the Microsoft Windows operating system and have been known to crash, giving the infamous blue screen of death.

[43] Due to continuing high demand, the Vélib' scheme was extended to neighbouring councils (up to 1.5 km beyond the boundaries of Paris) in 2008.