Quebec City’s àVélo growing success

PBSC is proud to be among the sponsors of this year’s NABSA 2023 conference, (North American Bikeshare & Scootershare Association), taking place in Toronto and Hamilton From September 19 to 22, 2023, focusing on Growing Shared Micromobility: Connecting People and Places. Ahead of the event, let’s take a closer look at our three Canadian bike-share systems!

Final stop: Quebec City’s àVélo

To complete our Canada showcase series, our third and final pre-NASBA stop on PBSC’s Canadian tour is none other than Quebec City! Check out the behind the scenes of our fully-electric bike sharing system and take a ride inside the exciting success story of Canada’s very first large-scale, all-electric public bike share solution, called àVélo.

In 2021, the Réseau de Transport de la Capitale (RTC) selected PBSC to create and implement its new bike share solution. Taking into account this UNESCO World Heritage site’s hilly topography and public transit infrastructure, going all-electric was the ideal choice for the provincial capital's shared micromobility needs! 

àVélo: An electric success story

After an initial rollout of 100 of our E-FIT e-bikes and 10 smart stations, àVélo has enjoyed 2 expansions in as many years: First, in 2022, 300 e-bikes and 30 smart stations joined the dynamic e- fleet. Then, in 2023, the system’s most recent growth spurt added 380 more e-bikes and 34 new smart stations stations to the road, for a total number of 780 e-bikes and 74 stations! (Did you hear the news regarding the system’s accessibility to students? This year, 4 smart stations were deployed at Université Laval.) 

Exceeding all expectations, locals and visitors love their àVélo! At the beginning of each season, after a long winter, enthusiasm in the air is palpable as cyclists prepare for bike-sharing’s return. 

This year, the 2023 season got off to a wonderful start with 13,629 trips taken in its first week alone (as compared to 3,264 trips in the same time period last year). The system exceeded all expectations! From mid-April to September, 450,000 trips were taken, for an average of 4,000 daily rides, well exceeding the end-of-season target of 350,000 rides. Subscriptions are up too; so far this year, 9,748 cyclists have registered for an active subscription, which makes 18 times more members than in 2022.

These statistics make it clear that the e-bike boom is officially here! E-bikes are convenient as  they allow people to travel longer distances quickly and effortlessly. It’s also worth noting that electric bikes make active travel more accessible to a wider range of people, including those who might be reluctant about cycling due to physical constraints.

PBSC’s industry-leading technology solutions pave the way!

To celebrate the success of Canada’s first all-electric public bike share system, let’s take a closer look at some of àVélo’s modern technology solutions: 

Our Quebec City E-FIT feature modern LCD screens that display speed, distance, and charge level. These e-bikes are also equipped with GPS, which assists the operator in studying mobility data to plan system growth. Another feature of this system is the Scan & Go technology. Through the PBSC mobile app, users can quickly and easily unlock bikes by scanning the QR code.

When returning the E-FITs, our Smart Stations quickly and automatically recharge the electric fleet. These stations feature clever, modular design that allows equipment to be easily moved or reconfigured to suit a city’s changing climate, or to accommodate special events. For example, since Quebec winters are harsh and cold, the system is completely removed from the streets and reinstalled every spring. 

A bright future ahead for àVélo

Looking ahead, the system plans to expand to 1,000 bikes and 100 stations by 2024. With such rapid growth in popularity, it’s safe to say an electric bike-sharing system was essential for the city of Quebec. We’re delighted to put smiles on everybody’s faces by working with Capitale Mobilité (a limited partnership mandated by the RTC for the operation of the àVélo service) to implement an healthy, active and sustainable mode of transportation that meets the needs of the city and its residents! 

PBSC is proud to support sustainable urban mobility for smarter cities and a healthy, happy planet.

As a reminder, this year's NABSA Conference takes place in Canada, a country where the importance of shared micromobility is becoming evident, with cities such as Quebec City, Montreal and Toronto benefitting from successful and increasingly popular bike-sharing systems. We are once again delighted to sponsor the 2023 conference, as we continue to support the development of bike-sharing in Canada and the rest of the world. We look forward to seeing you from September 19 to 22 in Hamilton and Toronto, come meet us at NABSA!