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. The company has sold about 280,000 bikes and 13,000 stations to 50 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), which was introduced in 2009. The name 'Bixi' is a portmanteau of 'bicycle' and 'taxi'. Starting in 2010, Lyft Urban Solutions began to export the Bixi brand of bike-share systems to various other cities.
Bruno Rodi purchased the international division in April 2014 for $4M and renamed the company to PBSC Urban Solutions. (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.
On May 17, 2022, Lyft, Inc. acquired PBSC Urban Solutions for $160 million and rebranded the subsidiary to Lyft Urban Solutions.
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, called Bixi, the city created the Public Bike System Company (PBSC). This was a private non-profit company overseen by Montreal's parking authority.
In May 2009, the system began operation in Montreal, with 3000 bicycles and 300 stations. After several expansions and the addition of electric bikes to the network, as of 2021 the Montreal system has 9,092 bikes and e-bikes and 750 stations.
From June to September 2009, the system was introduced in a pilot study in Ottawa/Gatineau. This was followed by operations in Melbourne from May 2010, Minneapolis from June 2010, and London from July 2010. PBSC launched on the Washington State University campus in August 2010, and in Washington, D.C. and Arlington under the name "Capital Bikeshare" in September 2010.
In 2011, PBSC expanded its operations to Boston under the name "Hubway" and in Toronto, under the name "Bike Share Toronto".
In 2012, PBSC expanded to Chattanooga.
In 2013, the company continued its expansion in the United States by implementing systems in Chicago, New York City, and Aspen, Colorado.
In 2014, PBSC expanded its activities to Guadalajara.
On January 20, 2014, the company filed for bankruptcy in Montreal, citing $46 million in debt, in part because Chicago and New York were withholding $5 million in payments because of software issues with the docking stations. In 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.
In 2015, PBSC Urban Solutions expanded to Toluca, and announced the expansion of its existing networks in London, Chicago, Washington and Guadalajara.
In 2016, PBSC Urban Solutions added pedal-assist electric bicycles to its fleets.
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 launched operations in Detroit, Louisville, Tucson, and Honolulu in the United States, as well as Aruba in the Caribbean.
In 2018, the company launched in Valence, and Nicosia. Thanks to its partnership with Tembici and Itaú Unibanco operators, Lyft Urban Solutions expanded its network in Brazil with the deployment of 9,000 bikes in several cities: Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, 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. The same year the company expanded to Monaco, Buenos Aires, and Santiago. It also extended some of its existing systems, including BIXI in Montreal, We-Cycle in Aspen and Libélo in Valence.
In 2020, PBSC Urban Solutions entered the Middle East with the launch of Careem Bike, a fully electric system, in Dubai. In the same year, it also expanded to San Sebastian.
In 2021, PBSC Urban Solutions broadened its activities in several cities around the world: Abu Dhabi, Clermont-Ferrand, Sibiu, Quebec City and Brasilia.
In 2022, the company launched systems in Colombia and Romania, as well as in the cities of Pittsburgh, Bogota, Dej, and Sibiu. It also expanded some of its existing networks, including BIXI in Montreal, Careem Bike in Dubai, Santander Cycles in London, Bike Share Toronto in Toronto, Biki in Honolulu, àVélo in Québec City, Bike Itau in São Paulo, and Libélo in Valence.
On April 19, 2022, Lyft announced that it had reached an agreement to acquire PBSC Urban Solutions. The transaction closed on May 17, 2022, and the company was rebranded 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. Michel Dallaire designed the physical components. Robotics Design designed the bike docks and the locking system. Cycles Devinci manufactures PBSC's bikes in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec. 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.
Current systems The cities that currently use Lyft bike-share systems are listed below: City Country Launch date System name Stations BikesAbu Dhabi 2021Careem Bike50300Aruba 2017Green Bike Aruba8100 Aspen/Basalt, Colorado 2013WE-cycle 90 520Austin, Texas 2024CapMetro Bikeshare76494Barcelona 2019 Bicing 519 7,000Bogotá2022Tembici3003,300Boston, Massachusetts 2011Bluebikes 500 5,207Brasília2021Tembici70530 Buenos Aires 2019 Ecobici 400 4,400 Chattanooga, Tennessee 2012 Bike Chattanooga 43 458 Chicago, Illinois 2013 Divvy 1,000 12,792Clermont-Ferrand2021C.vélo57680 Columbus, Ohio 2013 CoGo 91 522Curitiba 2023Tembici50500Dej2023Dej velo city16221 Detroit, Michigan 2017 MoGo 79 679Dubai 2020Careem Bike1751,750Fort Worth, Texas 2024Trinity Metro Bikes62400 Guadalajara 2014 MiBici 366 3,972 Honolulu, Hawaii 2017Biki 136 1,576Hunedoara2024VeloCorvin12189Kona, Hawaii 2016Hawaii Island Bikeshare23209A Coruña2022bicicoruña55606 London 2010 Santander Cycles 839 15,250Madrid2023bicimad6117,500Medina2024Careem Bike60500Moinesti2024Moinesti Bike City8121Monaco 2019MonaBike43400 Montreal, Quebec 2009 Bixi Montréal 934 11,379New York, New York 2013 Citi Bike 2,099 42,542Nicosia 2018Velespeed43410Nordelta2022Tembici20200Pittsburgh2022POGOH82583Porto Alegre 2018Bike Itaú59665Quebec City, Quebec 2021àVélo1151,300Rio de Janeiro 2018Bike Itaú 355 3,600Salvador2018Bike Itaú50400San Sebastian 2011Dbizi70724Sântana2022Velo Sântana890Santiago2019Bike Santiago2303,501São Paulo2018Bike Itaú3203,700Sibiu2022Sibiu Bike City57650Toronto, Ontario 2011Bike Share Toronto 925 9,750Tucson, Arizona2017Tugo41330Valence2018Libélo55356Valladolid2023Biki971,678Washington, D.C. 2010Capital BikeShare 769 11,746Zaragoza 2025 [BiZi 276
Equipment
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.
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: 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 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 bicycles; they have a unisex step-through frame with an upright seating position. They are equipped with grip-shifter-operated internally-geared hubs, drum brakes, mudguards/fenders, chain guard, generator 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 tires 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 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.
Each bike is also equipped with PBSC's patented anti-theft locking device. 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.
Technologies
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 (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.
The app can be customized to each city's operators.
Transit App PBSC Urban Solutions also has a partnership with "Transit App"; this app can also be used to find stations and unlock bikes.
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).
2014 bankruptcy