Lyft Urban Solutions, formerly PBSC Urban Solutions and originally Public Bike System Company, is an international bicycle-sharing system equipment vendor with their headquarters based in Longueuil, Quebec. The company develops bicycle-sharing systems, equipment, parts, and software, and sells its products to cities in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, Brazil and more.[1][2][3] The company has sold about 100,000 bikes and 9,000 stations to 45 cities.[4][5][6]
Public Bike System Company (PBSC) was initially created by the City of Montreal[7][8] to supply and operate its public bike share system under the brand Bixi (later becoming Bixi Montréal), which was introduced in 2009.[9] The name 'Bixi' is a portmanteau of 'bicycle' and 'taxi'. Starting in 2010, PBSC began to export the Bixi brand of bike-share systems to various other cities.[citation needed]
Bruno Rodi purchased the international division in April 2014 and renamed the company to PBSC Urban Solutions.[10][11] (Montreal's on-the-ground Bixi bike-share operations were not included in the sale, and were reorganized under the Bixi Montréal name.) In 2015, he sold the majority share to Luc Sabbatini, who became CEO.[10]
On May 17, 2022, Lyft, Inc. acquired PBSC Urban Solutions for $160 million.[12]
History
In 2007, the city of Montreal published the "Reinvent Montreal" transportation plan, which featured a bike sharing system as a method of reducing automobile dependence. To design and operate the new system, the city created the Public Bike System Company (PBSC). This was a private non-profit company overseen by Stationnement de Montréal (the Montreal parking authority).[13]
After the 2008 implementation of the system in Montreal, solutions like Bixi began expanding around the world. PBSC's systems are now found across North America, Latin America, Europe and more.
In May 2009, the system began operation in Montreal, with 3000 bicycles and 300 stations.[citation needed][14] After several expansions and the integration of electric bikes, in 2021 the Montreal system has 9,092 bikes and e-bikes and 750 stations.[15][16]
From June to September 2009, the system was introduced in a pilot study in Ottawa/Gatineau.[17] This was followed by operations in Melbourne, Australia from May 2010,[18]Minneapolis (MN), in June 2010,[19] and London in July 2010.[20] PBSC launched on the Washington State University campus in August 2010, in Washington, D.C. & Arlington under the name "Capital Bikeshare" in September 2010.
In 2013, the company continues its expansion in the United States by implementing systems in Chicago,[23]New York and Aspen.[24]
In 2014, PBSC Urban Solutions expands its activities to Guadalajara, Mexico where it deploys 1,276 bikes and 122 stations. As of 2021, the city has 3,200 bikes and 305 stations.[25]
On January 20, 2014, the company filed for bankruptcy in Montreal, citing $46 million in debt. Part of the issue in the bankruptcy was that Chicago and New York were withholding $5 million in payments because of software issues with the docking stations.[26][27] Over the course of 2014, Bruno Rodi purchased the international division of Bixi and renamed it to PBSC Urban Solutions. Luc Sabbatini became CEO of the company in January 2015.[28]
In 2017, the company deployed its first system in Brazil in the city of Recife, which consisted of 800 bikes and 80 stations. The company also rolled out its systems in Detroit,[34]Louisville,[35]Tucson[36] & Honolulu[37] in the United States, and Aruba in the Caribbean.
In 2018, the company announced a second R&D investment of more than $5 million. New systems were launched in Valence,[38] France and Nicosia, Cyprus' capital. Thanks to its partnership with Tembici and Itaú Unibanco operators, PBSC expanded its network in Brazil with the deployment of 9,000 bikes in several cities:[39]Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo,[40]Porto Alegre, Vila Velha and Salvador.
In 2019, PBSC Urban Solutions was awarded a 7,000 bike contract in Barcelona, 1,000 of them being electric assisted bikes.[41][42] The same year the company expanded to Monaco,[43]Buenos Aires in Argentina, and Santiago in Chile.[44] It also extended some of its existing systems, including BIXI in Montreal, We-Cycle in Aspen and Libélo in Valence.[45]
In 2020, PBSC entered the Middle East with the launch of Careem Bike, a fully electric system, in Dubai.[46] In the same year, it also implemented its solution in San Sebastian, Spain.
On April 19, 2022, Lyft announced that it had reached an agreement to acquire PBSC.[57] The transaction closed on May 17, 2022 and the company was renamed Lyft Urban Solutions.
In 2023, Lyft Urban Solutions launched bicimad, a fully electric system in Madrid, Spain, and Biki in Valladolid, Spain.
Original developers
8D Technologies developed the technological platform behind the Bixi system, including the wireless bike station terminals, the RFID bike dock technology and the software systems. The system runs on a combination of solar energy and grid charged batteries. 8D also created the Spotcycle bike-share smartphone app that locates and shows the status of bike stations close to the users.[58][59][60][61]
Michel Dallaire designed the physical components.[62][63][64]
Michel Gourdeau suggested the name Bixi, a portmanteau of bicycle and taxi, which was selected by a majority of the people who participated in a contest organized by the city of Montreal.[67][68]
Current systems
The cities that currently use Lyft bike-share systems are listed below:[69]
A complete station is made up of a payment kiosk, bikes, and bike docks (where the bikes are locked). A station can be installed and configured in about half an hour; no excavation is required beforehand. Ordinary stations use solar power during the day and a rechargeable battery at night. Stations which can charge e-bikes, however, must be connected to an electrical power source.
In 2021, the We-Cycle in Aspen, Colorado began a pilot program with Skyhook Solar, utilizing solar charging stations to power e-bike docks and charge e-bikes. The program has been a success and We-Cycle has added Skyhook Solar Stations to several of its e-bike docks throughout the Roaring Fork Valley.[71]
Bike docks
Bike docks hold and lock the bikes when they are not in use. Each dock includes a button which can be used to notify staff if a bicycle is defective. There are different types of stations:
A Bike Share Toronto kiosk and station in Toronto.
The electric stations which are powered by the electrical network and range from 100 V to 240 V.
The solar stations which are modular and self-sufficient in energy.
Payment kiosks
PBSC's payment kiosks are touchscreen-operated; most of them accept credit cards for short-term rentals. Users can unlock bikes using a numeric one-time PIN number generated by the payment kiosk or an app. Long-term subscribers also have the option to unlock a bike using a subscriber key, which works using contactless RFID ("tap") technology.
The one-piece aluminum frame and handlebars conceal cables and fasteners, in an effort to protect them from vandalism and inclement weather. The tires are designed to be puncture-resistant and are filled with nitrogen to maintain proper inflation pressure longer.[72] Twin LED rear lights are integrated into the robust frame, which weighs approximately 18kg. The bikes were designed by Michel Dallaire; they are built in the Saguenay, Quebec region by Cycles Devinci.
Bicing bike in Barcelona
Four bike models are available. These include:[73]
The "ICONIC". This is PBSC's original bike model. It has 26" wheels, and is heavy but sturdy.
The "FIT". This is a newer model. It is lighter-weight and has 24" wheels.
The "BOOST". This is PBSC's original e-bike. The battery lasts for up to 60km (37mi) between charges.
The "E-FIT". This is a newer e-bike. The battery lasts for up to 70km (43mi) between charges.
The "BOOST" and the "E-FIT" each include a 250 watt motor.
Each bike is also equipped with PBSC's patented anti-theft locking device.[74] It can charge e-bikes batteries and communicate data in real-time to the control center.
Multimodal solution
The multimodal solution is a technology designed to dock and charge various vehicles (bikes, e-scooters, e-bikes) at a single station, by installing PBSC's patented locking device on the vehicles.[75]
Technologies
PBSC mobile app
The official PBSC bicycle-rental app is now called "PBSC"; it was formerly called "CycleFinder".[76][77] It can be used to unlock bikes (with the QR code), find nearby stations, find available bikes or empty docks, find a route to a destination, and more, all in real time.[78]
The app can be customized to each city's operators.[79][80]
Transit App
PBSC Urban Solutions also has a partnership with "Transit App";[81] this app can also be used to find stations and unlock bikes.[82]
Comet
Comet is a software program developed by PBSC. The control center allows operators to manage in real-time the system as it is connected to every station and bike. The software shares data about the system's bikes and stations status (need for maintenance, station current capacity), location of bikes, user profile (regular or occasional users).[83]
2014 bankruptcy
In 2013, PBSC began having financial problems; the company filed for bankruptcy in early 2014.[84][85] In January 2014, Bixi filed for bankruptcy in Montreal, citing $46 million in debt. Part of the issue in the bankruptcy was that Chicago and New York were withholding $5 million in payments because of software issues with the docking stations.[26] In February 2014, the city of Montreal bought all Bixi assets, with the intention of selling the international division of the bankrupt company.[86] On April 9, 2014, Bruno Rodi, a Quebec businessman, bought Bixi's international division for $4 million[87] and renamed it PBSC Urban Solutions.[88][89]
Operational difficulties
Several cities experienced hurdles in implementing Bixi systems.
A trial implementation in Ottawa and Gatineau took place in the summer of 2009, with 50 bikes and four stations available until September 2009. While the trial was successful, they did not return in 2010 since no company wanted to manage the project as the National Capital Commission wanted the contractor to buy the bicycles and locking stations.[90] The project was revived, however, and 100 bikes and 10 stations were launched in spring 2011.[91]
Bixi's franchise in central Boston includes the right to negotiate to expand the system to neighboring municipalities. Central Boston will be served by a network that includes 2,500 bikes, and 290 stations with 3,750 docking spaces, with the potential to expand to a 5,000-bike system. The system was delayed, partly because of a lack of funding, but launched in Spring 2011 with 610 bikes and 61 stations.[92] It has since grown into the neighboring communities of Brookline, Cambridge and Somerville. They had initially planned to set up a Bixi system directly, but now are using Alta Bicycle Share, of Portland, Oregon, to set it up.[91] Alta Bicycle Share uses the same bicycles and stations that are used in Bixi through the Public Bike System Company.[93]
The Bixi system in Montreal experienced some initial difficulties less than two months after its introduction in 2009, with damage and vandalism to some of the bikes. The newspaper La Presse reported on July 5, 2009, that one in five bikes had been damaged and 15% of bike racks are defective. Stationnement de Montréal communications director Michel Philibert stated the organization plans to reinforce racks and is testing prototype designs.[94] Designer Michel Dallaire stated it never occurred to him that people would try to break the stations to steal bikes. [63] There have since been no significant damage or vandalism issues reported in any of the installations of Bixi.
In 2012 a legal dispute over software from 8D Technologies led to implementation delays for Chattanooga, New York and San Francisco.[95]
In 2013 it was reported that the Toronto Bixi system was facing financial troubles and would be operated by Toronto Parking Authority in 2014 under a different name. The system had only paid back $600,000 of its $4,500,000 start up loan.[96] The unexpectedly rapid expansion of export business created cash flow problems for the parent company, PBSC Urban Solutions, which attempted to sell its international operations in June.[97]
a greater likelihood of cycling for those exposed to the public bicycle-share program after the second season of implementation (odds ratio = 2.86; 95% confidence interval = 1.85, 4.42) after we controlled for weather, built environment, and individual variables.
In 2021, a study by Colorado State University in the United-States reported that the usage of bike share systems resulted in a calculated reduction of 4.7 premature deaths, 737 DALYS (disability-adjusted life years) and 36 million dollars (USD) in health economic impacts across the country annually.[99]
A bicycle-sharing system, bike share program, public bicycle scheme, or public bike share (PBS) scheme, is a shared transport service where bicycles are available for shared use by individuals at low cost.
Vélib' Métropole is a large-scale public bicycle sharing system in Paris, France. The system encompasses more than 16,000 bikes and 1,400 stations. The name Vélib' is a portmanteau of the French words vélo ("bicycle") and liberté ("freedom").
Bicing is a bicycle-sharing system in the city of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, which was implemented in March 2007, promoted by the City Council. The municipal company Barcelona de Serveis Municipals (B:SM) is the manager of the service, while the exploitation concession corresponds to Pedalem Barcelona since 2019, a Temporary Union of Companies formed by CESPA and PBSC. Between 2007 and 2018, Clear Channel was the company in charge of this task. It is similar to the Vélo'v service in Lyon or Vélib' in Paris, and uses the same bicycles and stations as used in Stockholm, Oslo, and Zaragoza. Its purpose is to cover small and medium daily routes within the city in a climate-friendly way, eliminating the pollution, roadway noise, and traffic congestion that motor vehicles create.
Santander Cycles is a public bicycle hire scheme in London in the United Kingdom. The scheme's bicycles have been popularly known as Boris Bikes, after Boris Johnson who was Mayor of London when the scheme began operating.
Nice Ride Minnesota was a seasonally operated nonprofit bicycle sharing system in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota based on the BIXI brand created by Public Bike System Company and first used in Montreal. Launched on June 10, 2010, it served over 10,000 trips in its first month and reached 100,817 rides in the first season of operation. The bicycles in the system are manufactured by Cycles Devinci. They are painted fluorescent green and include a cargo carrier and headlights. They receive daily maintenance, and are redistributed throughout the system via truck.
Capital Bikeshare is a bicycle-sharing system that serves Washington, D.C., and certain counties of the larger metropolitan area. As of January 2023, it had 700+ stations and more than 5,400 bicycles. The member jurisdictions own most of the equipment and have sourced operations to contractor Motivate International. Opened in September 2010, the system was the largest bike sharing service in the United States until New York City's Citi Bike began operations in May 2013.
BCycle is a public bicycle sharing company owned by Trek Bicycle and is based in Waterloo, Wisconsin, United States. It has 34 local systems operating in cities across the United States. However, in several cities it operates under a name other than BCycle
Bluebikes, originally Hubway, is a bicycle sharing system in the Boston metropolitan area. As of 2023, the system had deployed 480 stations with a fleet of over 5,300 bikes in the 10 municipalities it served. Bluebikes is operated by Motivate and uses technology provided by 8D Technologies and PBSC Urban Solutions for equipment. The bike share program officially launched in Boston as Hubway. From 2012 to 2021, neighboring municipalities of Brookline, Cambridge, Somerville, Everett, Newton, Arlington, Chelsea, Watertown, and Salem joined the system. By 2020, total annual members neared 23,000, and as of 2021, 14 million total rides have been taken.
BIXI Montréal is a public bicycle sharing system serving Montréal, Quebec, Canada.
Motivate LLC is a company based in New York City that services bicycle sharing systems and other urban services in North America.
Melbourne Bike Share was a bicycle-sharing system that served the central business district of Melbourne, Australia. The stations and bicycles were owned by the government and operated in a public–private partnership with RACV. Launched in 2010, the network utilized a system designed by Montreal-based PBSC Urban Solutions with 600 bicycles operating from 51 stations. Melbourne Bike Share was one of two such systems in Australia until the Victorian Government shut down the service on 30 November 2019.
Citi Bike is a privately owned public bicycle sharing system serving the New York City boroughs of the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens, as well as Jersey City and Hoboken, New Jersey. Named after lead sponsor Citigroup, it was operated by Motivate, with former Metropolitan Transportation Authority CEO Jay Walder as chief executive until September 30, 2018, when the company was acquired by Lyft. The system's bikes and stations use technology from Lyft.
Divvy is the bicycle sharing system in the Chicago metropolitan area, currently serving the cities of Chicago and Evanston. The system is owned by the Chicago Department of Transportation and has been operated by Lyft since 2019. As of May 2023, Divvy was the largest bicycle sharing system by area in North America with a service area of 234 square miles. In August 2024, the 1,000th Divvy station opened as part of a citywide expansion of 400 new stations.
Bay Wheels is a regional public bicycle sharing system in California's San Francisco Bay Area. It is operated by Motivate in a partnership with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. Bay Wheels is the first regional and large-scale bicycle sharing system deployed in California and on the West Coast of the United States. It was established as Bay Area Bike Share in August 2013. As of January 2018, the Bay Wheels system had over 2,600 bicycles in 262 stations across San Francisco, East Bay and San Jose.
Bike Share Toronto is a bicycle-sharing system in Toronto, Ontario, operated by the Toronto Parking Authority (TPA). The system consists of over 9,000 bicycles and over 700 stations, and covers over 200 square kilometres in 21 of the 25 wards of the city, with plans to expand to the entire city by 2025.
Cycling in Boston has been a popular activity since the late 19th century for both recreation and commuting, and it has grown in popularity in recent years, aided by improving cycling infrastructure. It is especially prevalent around the campuses of the numerous universities in the city.
8D Technologies was a Canadian company that developed bicycle-sharing systems and automated parking management systems. It merged with Motivate in 2017.
CycleHop LLC is a bicycle sharing platform and mobility company that operates bike share systems in fifteen cities in North America, including Vancouver Bike Share in British Columbia.
CoGo Bike Share is a public bicycle sharing system serving Columbus, Ohio and its suburbs. The service is operated by the bikeshare company Motivate It was created in July 2013 with 300 bikes and 30 docking stations, since expanded to about 600 bikes and 80 stations. The service is operated in conjunction with the City of Columbus, which owns all equipment.
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