The City of Vancouver, Canada has a Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEOI) out for a company "to develop, install, own, operate and finance a Public Bicycle System (“PBS”)... targeting launch in Spring 2012 or earlier." (It's interesting that there happens to be a company named Public Bicycle System Company that is also in Canada. Merely a coincidence tho'.)
It's interesting to see cities are getting smarter and turning the outdoor advertising business model of bike-sharing on its head. Instead of cities doing a public tender for an outdoor advertising program and getting a "free" bike-sharing service, the trend is to now to do a public tender for bike-sharing through a bike-sharing service contract and getting it for free. It keeps things simpler and the revenues cleaner.
Pedal hard, Vancouver! The service should be up and running in time for your hosting of the Velo-city Global conference in Spring 2012.
image: Destination360
what will be interesting about Vancouver's bike share is that it will require helmet use. As I understand it, the only bike share systems that have failed (at least in recent memory) have requited helmet use.
ReplyDeleteWill Vancouver's bike share system fail, in spite of it's strong bike culture and supporting infrastructure? Only time will tell.
quebec is limiting the export of bixi to the united states (which puts DC and Boston in jeopardy?). Will it limit bixi in Vancouver as well?
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