How French motorway service stations are changing (for the better)

Stopping at a motorway service station (aire) is often seen as more practical than pleasurable, but with the rise in electric vehicles - which need more stops for recharging - French services are being overhauled to offer a better experience.

One station on the A8 motorway, for example, has been updated to offer a new terrace with sweeping views over Monaco and the Mediterranean, as well as extra electrical recharge points, and a quiet space inside for working, in a bid to encourage drivers to stay longer, in more comfort.

Another aire near Aubagne (Bouches-du-Rhône) has been renamed after the Provence writer and filmmaker Marcel Pagnol, and now has an exhibition at the site, about his life and work, to offer a cultural dimension to drivers’ stops.

Read also: The man behind the French film classic ‘Jean de Florette’ 

Many services are now also adding extra items to their aire shop, including toys to entertain children on long journeys.

Others are adding well-known brand name shops and outlets to their sites in a bid to tempt clients further - including Leclerc, Starbucks, McDonald’s, and Monoprix.

‘Calm and safe’ drivers

One of the companies looking to overhaul service stations is Escota, which manages 180 service areas. Of these, half have been refurbished in 10 years.

Of course, the companies are hoping to boost profit - the most updated aires have seen their sales increase by 20 to 30% - but also to ensure drivers are better rested and calm before they head back onto the roads.

“We're trying to get people to stop more regularly and for longer, so that they can get back on their way more calmly and safely,” said Floriane Foltz, marketing and customer manager at Escota, to FranceInfo.

Similarly, Yves Lacheret, director of Areas France, said that the goal was not simply to get drivers to shop more. He told Ouest France: “We are seeing that stops are getting longer, but our aim is not to transform aires into commercial centres, but instead to make them more welcoming.”

The rise of EVs

Service station managers are also realising that with increased use of electric vehicles (EVs), drivers have more need to stop for longer, to recharge.

Read also: France’s switch to electric vehicles boosted by €268m charger fund 
Read also: ‘We tried out driving from Yorkshire to Dordogne in an electric car’ 

To cater to this need, Vinci Autoroutes, another major motorway service provider, has stepped up its efforts to offer more recharging points for electric vehicles, and to offer more services to clients during these pauses.

“In the coming years, clients are going to be stopping more, and more often,” said Raphael Vantre, marketing and development director at Vinci Autoroutes. “So this is an invitation for us to rethink aires differently, rethink the client journey, so that their experience is the best it can be.”

Vinci has estimated that within the next 10 to 15 years, each service aire will need up to 100 high-speed charging points to meet demand.

Read also: Electric car owners let down by lack of fast chargers in France