July 31, 2022 - Montréal’s legendary Bixi bikeshare system, operated by PBSC Urban Solutions, a global supplier of bikeshare equipment and technology, has been acquired by Lyft in late April as part of its micromobility expansion in North America.
PBSC has 7,500 stations and 95,000 bikes in 45 markets across 15 countries, and the acquisition will roughly double Lyft’s scale in micromobility. In 2018, Lyft entered the bike-share market acquiring Motivate. With systems in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, it has since doubled the size of its flagship New York City bikeshare system, Citi Bike, from 12,000 to over 24,000 bikes.
Established in 2008 under the name Société de vélo en libre-service, Montréal’s Bixi was launched in 2009 with great fanfare and initial success. The Bixi system came to Toronto as well, but amidst controversy the parent company filed for bankruptcy protection in 2014 and soon after PBSC was formed.
’This is a huge development and opportunity for PBSC. By joining forces with our long-time partner Lyft, our employees, existing and future clients will have access to the broadest and richest range of micromobility solutions there is bar none. Together, we will work to improve people’s lives with the world’s best transportation and push to redesign cities around people, one city at a time.’’ said Luc Sabbatini, President and CEO of PBSC in a press release. ‘’There is a clear alignment of values, complementarity of skills and products and a unique worldwide footprint. This is all very exciting and I look forward to being part of this bright future with my PBSC and Lyft colleagues’’.
Read the full press release here.
