PBSC Urban Solutions

PBSC Urban Solutions
Formerly called
 SVLS or Bixi International
Privately held
Founded 2008
Headquarters Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Number of locations
 Systems in 15 cities and 2 University Campuses
Products Self-service Bikes
Owner Luc Sabbatini
Website https://www.pbsc.com/
Capital Bikeshare station outside Eastern Market Metro in Washington, D.C.
A Hubway bicycle sharing station outside the Boston Public Library.
Santander Cycles docking station in London.

PBSC Urban Solutions is a corporation based in Longueuil , that operates bicycle sharing systems in Canada, United States, Mexico, United Kingdom and Australia.[1] The company has close to 47,000 bikes and 3,800 stations in 15 cities[2][3] and two university campuses.[4][5] Its system uses solar powered wireless terminals in the stations.[6] PBSC's headquarters are located in the greater Montreal area.

The bike-sharing system was introduced in May 2009 with 3,000 bicycles and 300 stations in Montreal.[7] In 2010, the system was introduced in Minneapolis,[8] London,[9] Washington D.C[10][11] and Melbourne.[12] Later on, the company eventually extended its system to Boston[13] and Toronto[14] in 2011, Chattanooga[15] in 2012, New York City,[16] the Stony Brook University,[5] Aspen,[17] San Francisco,[18] Chicago[19][20] and Columbus[21] in 2013.

At the end of the year 2013, PBSC started having financial problems that lead the company filing for bankruptcy in early 2014.[22][23] Bruno Rodi purchased the international division in April 2014 and renamed the company PBSC Urban Solutions.[3][24] He then sold the majority share to Luc Sabbatini in January 2015, who became CEO.[3] Since then, PBSC Urban Solutions has extended its activity in Mexico with the Huizi system in Toluca,[25] has signed a contract in Honolulu[26] and has extended its activities in Chicago,[27] Guadalajara[19] and Toronto.[28]

As of today, PBSC Urban Solutions is the sole owner of all the intellectual property (patents, designs, trademarks, etc.) related to the PBSC public bike share system (used in cities like London and Washington) and is also providing some cities [29](including Chicago, San Francisco, Columbus, Guadalajara in Mexico) with the software solution.[30]

Current systems

The cities that have implemented its bicycle rental systems are listed below[3].

City Country Launch date System

name

Stations Bikes
Aspen/Basalt, Colorado  United States 2013/2016 We-cycle 16 200
San Francisco, California  United States 2013 Bay Area Bike Share 104 1040
Boston/Cambridge  United States 2011/2015 Hubway 158 1461
Chattanooga, Tennessee  United States 2012 Bike Chattanooga 33 300
Chicago, Illinois  United States 2013 Divvy 576 5837
Columbus, Ohio  United States 2013 CoGo 41 335
Guadalajara  Mexico 2014 MIBICI 242 2116
London  United Kingdom 2010 Santander Cycles 839 13600
Melbourne  Australia 2010 Melbourne Bike Share 53 676
Minneapolis, Minnesota  United States 2010 Nice Ride Minnesota 171 1833
Montreal  Canada 2009 BIXI 452 5220
New York City, New York  United States 2013 Citi Bike 458 7000
New York (Stony Brook University)  United States 2013 Wolf Ride 8 63
Toluca  Mexico 2015 Huizi Toluca 27 350
Toronto  Canada 2011 Bike Share Toronto 201 2000
Washington, D.C./ Arlington, Washington  United States 2010 Capital BikeShare 395 4351
Pullman, Washington (Washington State University)  United States 2010 GreenBike Program 11 106
Others 9 93
Huizi station in Toluca

System components

A complete station is made up of a pay station, bikes, and bike docks (where the bikes are housed), which are fitted into modular technical platforms that are powered by solar panels. These technical platforms are the base and electronic ports for pay stations and bike docks. Bike stations can be created, expanded, configured and removed in about half an hour, monitored by a real-time management system. Excavation or preparatory work is not required, enabling the installation of a bike station as an adjunct to on-street parking.

The bike dock and locking system

The Boost,[31] a model pedal assisted electrically powered bicycle

Bike docks serve to house and lock bikes. Made from aluminium, these modular docking stations are formed by a combination of groups of four docks, which are modular themselves. Inspired by ANAT technology, the bike dock's modularity allows a pay station to be deployed in the place of a single dock. Maintenance and repair of the system is simplified thanks to a removable module present in every docking station which contains the locking system and all critical components that allow the system to function. In case of repairs, this module can be replaced with an identical one immediately, reducing the down-time of the system. The locking system is based on an energy efficient actuator used in the medical sector. The principal inventor of these systems is Charles Khairallah,[32] president of Robotics Design,[33][34][35][36] with co-inventor Michel Dallaire, president of Michel Dallaire Industrial Design.[37]

A Bixi pay station in Montreal.

Pay station

Users can rent a bike using a subscriber key (a Bixi key in Montreal, a Divvy Key in Chicago ) obtained through a long-term online subscription (30 days or annual) or an access code provided by the pay station (24-hour access). Pay stations are touchscreen-operated and only accept credit cards. A button is used to notify the operator of any defective bicycles.

The bikes

The bicycles are utility bicycles with a unisex step-through frame with an upright sitting position and are equipped with 3 speed internal hub gears, drum brakes, fenders, chain guard, lights, and a front rack.

The one-piece aluminum frame and handlebars conceal cables and fasteners in an effort to protect them from vandalism and inclement weather. The heavy-duty tires are designed to be puncture-resistant and are filled with nitrogen to maintain proper inflation pressure longer.[38] Twin LED rear lights are integrated into the robust frame, which weighs approximately 18 kg. The bikes are designed by industrial designer Michel Dallaire and built in the Saguenay, Quebec region by Cycles Devinci, with aluminum provided by Rio Tinto Alcan.[39]

On January 26, 2016 PBSC Urban Solutions unveiled a new generation of bike share bicycles at the Velo-city conference:[15][27][40]

The ICONIC model based on the original BIXI, a robust bike that marked the launch of the bike-sharing industry in 2009. The company stated that the ICONIC model sports 30 key improvements to the design and functionality.[41]

The FIT, which is a lighter rendition of the ICONIC model, was made with lighter components such as a smaller frame, thinner grip and smaller wheels for a better manoeuvrability.[40][42]

The BOOST is a new pedal assist electric model featuring a battery that charges as the bike sits locked into its station. These new bicycles might be installed on city streets at the end of 2016.[31]

Technology

Mobile application

CycleFinder is the official application of the bike sharing systems, member of the PBSC Urban Solutions Inc. Family.[43][44] It can be used to find nearby stations manually or using a GPS, available bike or free docking point, a route to a destination, have the distance, elevation and more.[45]

Transit App

In 2015, PBSC Urban Solutions announced a partnership with Transit App,[46] an application that provides an integrated transactional platform for its bike-sharing system. By using this application, bike-share users are able to plan their urban travel, pay via their smart phone, and unlock a bike with a mobile generated access code.[47]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Cities Around the World Are Using Our Bike-Sharing Solutions | PBSC". PBSC Solutions Urbanes. Retrieved 2016-06-01.
  2. ↑ "Bruno Rodi, PDG de Global B. Rodi inc. - La Presse+". La Presse+ (in French). 2015-08-27. Retrieved 2016-05-23.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Bixi: PBSC Urban Solutions brings bike-sharing to the world (Part 3)". Montreal Gazette. 2015-10-23. Retrieved 2016-06-14.
  4. ↑ "Promote University Campus Bike Share Programs for Sustainability". www.chasinggreen.org. Retrieved 2016-06-14.
  5. 1 2 Kannan, Sandhiya. "Wolf Ride Bike Share program expands". The Statesman. Retrieved 2016-06-11.
  6. ↑ Solutions, PBSC Urban. "PBSC Reports on Strong Year to Date Under New Ownership and Management". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2016-06-14.
  7. ↑ "Bikeshare: Bixi Montreal | Greater Places". greaterplaces.com. Retrieved 2016-06-11.
  8. ↑ "Nice Ride bikes return in time for the weekend – Twin Cities". Retrieved 2016-06-02.
  9. ↑ "BIXI rolls into London". www.newswire.ca. Retrieved 2016-06-14.
  10. ↑ "Promote University Campus Bike Share Programs for Sustainability". www.chasinggreen.org. Retrieved 2016-05-30.
  11. ↑ Goodman, J. David. "Bike Sharing Expands in Washington". Green Blog. Retrieved 2016-06-14.
  12. ↑ "Melbourne Bike Share | FAQ". www.melbournebikeshare.com.au. Retrieved 2016-06-14.
  13. ↑ "Mayor Menino Signs First-Ever Bike Share Contract Launching Hubway in Boston | City of Boston". Retrieved 2016-06-14.
  14. ↑ "BIXI bike-sharing officially launches in Toronto". blogTO. Retrieved 2016-06-14.
  15. 1 2 "Chattanooga launching bike-share program". timesfreepress.com. Retrieved 2016-06-14.
  16. ↑ "NYC gets its own version of Bixi". www.cbc.ca. Retrieved 2016-06-14.
  17. ↑ "Bike sharing comes to Aspen | AspenTimes.com". The Aspen Times. Retrieved 2016-06-14.
  18. ↑ "SF Bike Share Will Be "For Anybody Who Wants to Make a Short Trip" | Streetsblog San Francisco". Retrieved 2016-05-03.
  19. 1 2 "L'ancien BIXI international en mode croissance". Métro (in French). Retrieved 2016-06-14.
  20. ↑ "City of Chicago :: Chicago Bike Share Plan Approved By City Council". www.cityofchicago.org. Retrieved 2016-06-14.
  21. ↑ "Pedal on, Columbus! City bike-share program up and running". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 2016-06-14.
  22. ↑ "Big Bike-Sharing Supplier's Bankruptcy Doesn't Doom U.S. Programs". NPR.org. Retrieved 2015-08-02.
  23. ↑ "Once bankrupt, Montreal's Bixi can't keep up with global demand". www.cbc.ca. Retrieved 2016-06-14.
  24. ↑ "Bruno Rodi, PDG de Global B. Rodi inc. - La Presse+". La Presse+ (in French). 2015-08-27. Retrieved 2016-06-14.
  25. ↑ "PBSC Urban Solutions launched Huizi Toluca, the city's brand new bike-sharing program". www.sibrtonline.org. Retrieved 2016-06-14.
  26. ↑ "BIkeshare Hawaii selects PBSC Urban Solutions as its partner for Honolulu bicycle-sharing system - Pacific Business News". Pacific Business News. Retrieved 2016-06-12.
  27. 1 2 International, Radio Canada (2016-04-15). "PBSC bikes around the world". Radio Canada International. Retrieved 2016-06-11.
  28. ↑ "Once bankrupt, Montreal's Bixi can't keep up with global demand". www.cbc.ca. Retrieved 2016-06-10.
  29. ↑
  30. ↑ "Improve Public Transportation With Bike-Sharing Technologies | PBSC". PBSC Solutions Urbanes. Retrieved 2016-06-10.
  31. 1 2 "Electric assist might be bike share's next big thing". Better Bike Share. 2016-03-07. Retrieved 2016-05-02.
  32. ↑ WIPO. "(WO/2009/129623) METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SECURING A MOVABLE ITEM TO A STRUCTURE". Wipo.int. Retrieved 2011-02-23.
  33. ↑ Marc Tison. "Le Volksvélo" (PDF). La Presse. Retrieved 2008-09-28.
  34. ↑ http://www.roboticsdesign.qc.ca/MERCI_ROBOTICS_DESIGN-BIXI.jpg
  35. ↑ Sébastien Lamoureux. "Robotics Design à l'origine d'innovations audacieuses du Bixi". ETS university. Retrieved 2010-10-27.
  36. ↑ http://www.roboticsdesign.qc.ca/Coup_D'oeuil_2009_BIXI.pdf
  37. ↑ Lysiane Gagnon (2009-12-07). "Montreal's wheels of fortune". Toronto: The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2010-09-22.
  38. ↑ Ross Lydall (2010-05-21). "Taking a ride on Boris's hot wheels hire bikes". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 2010-06-29.
  39. ↑ "Rio Tinto Alcan and BIXI: a partnership on a roll" (Press release). Rio Tinto Alcan. 2008-10-28. Retrieved 2009-09-14.
  40. 1 2 Montenegro, Robert (2016-02-29). "Lightweight and Electric Bikes Could Be Coming to Your Local Bikeshare System". Big Think. Retrieved 2016-05-11.
  41. ↑ "Worldwide rollout of electric hire bikes may not be far off". Cycling Industry News. 2016-03-02. Retrieved 2016-06-14.
  42. ↑ Antenucci, Antonio (2013-05-13). "Riding a Citi Bike an uphill battle — as bulky, 45 lb. units not easy to maneuver". New York Post. Retrieved 2016-06-14.
  43. ↑ Lamontagne, Kathryne. "Chicago à petit prix". Le Journal de Québec. Retrieved 2016-06-14.
  44. ↑ Sky, Blue. "Main Divvy app gets big makeover". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2016-06-14.
  45. ↑ "CycleFinder - PBSC Urban Solutions -Discover New Apps-". discovernewapps.net. Retrieved 2016-06-14.
  46. ↑ james.gooch. "Masabi and Transit App Partner to Create Integrated Urban Mobility Experience for Transit and Payments". blog.masabi.com. Retrieved 2015-11-11.
  47. ↑ "Chattanooga eying new bicycle models for bike-share program". timesfreepress.com. Retrieved 2016-06-14.
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