PBSC Urban Solutions, formerly the Public Bike System Company, is an international bicycle-sharing system equipment vendor with their headquarters based in

Longueuil, Quebec Longueuil () is a city in the province of Quebec, Canada. It is the seat of the Montérégie administrative region and the central city of the urban agglomeration of Longueuil. It sits on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River directly acr ...

. The company develops bicycle-sharing systems, equipment, parts, and software, and sells its products to cities in Australia, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and seven other countries. The company has sold about 90,000 bikes and 7,000 stations to 40 cities. Public Bike System Company (PBSC) was initially created by the City of Montreal to supply and operate its public bike share system under the brand Bixi (later becoming

Bixi Montréal BIXI Montréal is a public bicycle sharing system serving Montréal, Quebec, Canada. Launched in May 2009 by Public Bike System Company (PBSC), it is North America's first large-scale bike sharing system and the original BIXI brand of systems. PB ...

), which was introduced in 2009. The name 'Bixi' is a

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of words (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. Since then, PBSC Urban Solutions has extended its activity into additional cities. As of 2021, PBSC bikes and e-bikes can be found i
40 cities
around the world, including

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

, New York,

Aspen Aspen is a common name for certain tree species; some, but not all, are classified by botanists in the section ''Populus'', of the '' Populus'' genus. Species These species are called aspens: *'' Populus adenopoda'' – Chinese aspen (Chin ...

and

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...

, just to name a few.

History

In 2007, the city of

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

published the "Reinvent Montreal" transportation plan, which featured a

bike sharing 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. The programmes themselves include bot ...

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). After the 2008 implementation of the system in Montreal, Bixi began expanding around the world. Bixi systems are now found across North America. Bixi equipment is used in several bike-sharing systems in North America, most of which are operated by

Motivate Motivation is the reason for which humans and other animals initiate, continue, or terminate a behavior at a given time. Motivational states are commonly understood as forces acting within the agent that create a disposition to engage in goal-dire ...

. In May 2009, the system began operation in Montreal, with 3000 bicycles and 300 stations. From June to September 2009, the system was introduced in a pilot study in Ottawa/ Gatineau. This was followed by operations in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Australia from May 2010,

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

(MN), in June 2010, and London in July 2010. Bixi launched on the Washington State University campus in August 2010, in Washington, D.C. & Arlington under the name "

Capital Bikeshare Capital Bikeshare (also abbreviated CaBi) is a bicycle-sharing system which serves Washington, D.C.; Arlington County, Virginia; the cities of Alexandria, Virginia and Falls Church, Virginia; Montgomery County, Maryland and Fairfax County, Vir ...

" in September 2010, and in Boston under the name " Hubway" in July 2011. 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. 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. On April 19, 2022,

Lyft Lyft, Inc. offers mobility as a service, ride-hailing, vehicles for hire, motorized scooters, a bicycle-sharing system, rental cars, and food delivery in the United States and select cities in Canada. Lyft sets fares, which vary using a dyn ...

announced that it had reached an agreement to acquire PBSC. The transaction is expected to close in second quarter of 2022.

Original developers

8D Technologies 8D Technologies was a Canadian company that developed bicycle-sharing systems and automated parking management systems. It merged with Motivate in 2017. History Early years 8D Technologies was founded in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1996, by C ...

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. *Michel Dallaire designed the physical components. *

Robotics Design Robotics Design Inc. is a company that designs and builds modular robots, founded and incorporated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in 1997. The company produces mobile robots, robotic manipulators and manual arms as well as custom solutions using mo ...

designed the bike docks and the locking system. * Cycles Devinci manufactures Bixi bikes in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec. *Michel Gourdeau suggested the name Bixi, a

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of words 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.

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.

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.

Bikes

The bicycles are

utility bicycle A utility bicycle, city bicycle, urban bicycle, European city bike (ECB), Dutch bike, classic bike or simply city-bike, is a bicycle designed for frequent very short, very slow rides through very flat urban areas. It is a form of utility bicycle ...

s; they have a unisex step-through frame with an upright seating position. They are equipped with grip-shifter-operated internally-geared hubs,

drum brakes A drum brake is a brake that uses friction caused by a set of shoes or pads that press outward against a rotating cylinder-shaped part called a brake drum. The term ''drum brake'' usually means a brake in which shoes press on the inner surfac ...

, mudguards/fenders,

chain guard A gear case, also known as a chain case or chainguard, is an enclosure for the bicycle chain and sprocket assemblages commonly employed by utility bicycles. It serves to protect the cyclist from being soiled or trapped in the chain rings and ten ...

, generator

lights Light is an electromagnetic radiation, part of which stimulates the sense of vision. Light or Lights may also refer to: Illumination * Light bulb * Traffic light Arts and entertainment Music * Lights (musician) (born 1987), Canadian singer-son ...

, and a front rack. PBSC sells both 3-speed and 7-speed hub gears. The one-piece aluminum frame and handlebars conceal cables and fasteners, in an effort to protect them from vandalism and inclement weather. The

tires A tire (American English) or tyre (British English) is a ring-shaped component that surrounds a wheel's rim to transfer a vehicle's load from the axle through the wheel to the ground and to provide traction on the surface over which t ...

are designed to be puncture-resistant and are filled with nitrogen to maintain proper inflation pressure longer. Twin LED rear lights are integrated into the robust frame, which weighs approximately 18 kg. The bikes were designed by Michel Dallaire; they are built in the

Saguenay, Quebec Saguenay ( , , ) is a city in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec, Canada, on the Saguenay River, about north of Quebec City by overland route. It is about upriver and northwest of Tadoussac, located at the confluence with the S ...

region by Cycles Devinci. Four bike models are available. These include: * 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 between charges. * The "E-FIT". This is a newer e-bike. The battery lasts for up to between charges. The "BOOST" and the "E-FIT" each include a 250 watt motor.

Mobile apps

PBSC mobile app

The official PBSC bicycle-rental app is now called "PBSC"; it was formerly called "CycleFinder". It can be used to unlock bikes, find nearby stations, find available bikes or empty docks, find a route to a destination, and more.

Transit App

PBSC Urban Solutions also has a partnership with "Transit App"; this app can also be used to find stations and unlock bikes.

2014 bankruptcy

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. In February 2014, the city of Montreal bought all Bixi assets, with the intention of selling the international division of the bankrupt company. On April 9, 2014, Bruno Rodi, a Quebec businessman, bought Bixi's international division for $4 million and renamed it PBSC Urban Solutions.

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 The National Capital Commission (NCC; french: Commission de la capitale nationale, CCN) is the Crown corporation responsible for development, urban planning, and conservation in Canada's Capital Region (Ottawa, Ontario and Gatineau, Quebec), i ...

wanted the contractor to buy the bicycles and locking stations. The project was revived, however, and 100 bikes and 10 stations were launched in spring 2011. 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. 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. Alta Bicycle Share uses the same bicycles and stations that are used in Bixi through the Public Bike System Company. 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. Designer Michel Dallaire stated it never occurred to him that people would try to break the stations to steal bikes. 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. In 2013 it was reported that the Toronto Bixi system was facing financial troubles and would be operated by

Toronto Parking Authority The Toronto Parking Authority (TPA), commonly known as Green P for its green-colour branding, is a municipal parking services company owned by the City of Toronto. The TPA was established in 1998 with the merger of parking operations in the area o ...

in 2014 under a different name. The system had only paid back $600,000 of its $4,500,000 start up loan. 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.

Effects

A study published in the ''

American Journal of Public Health The ''American Journal of Public Health'' is a monthly peer-reviewed public health journal published by the American Public Health Association that covers health policy and public health. The journal was established in 1911 and its stated miss ...

'' reports observing: :''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.

References

External links

* {{Bicycle sharing systems Companies based in Longueuil Transport companies of Canada Canadian companies established in 2009 Transport companies established in 2009 Bicycle sharing companies 2009 establishments in Quebec Cycling in Canada Cycling in London Cycling in Toronto Transport in Ottawa Transport in Montreal Micromobility Sustainable technologies Announced mergers and acquisitions