àVélo
| àVélo | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Owner | Réseau de transport de la Capitale |
| Locale | Quebec City, Quebec |
| Transit type | Bicycle sharing system |
| Number of stations | 165 |
| Website | https://aveloquebec.ca/ |
| Operation | |
| Began operation | July 9, 2021 |
| Operator(s) | Capitale Mobilité |
àVélo is a bike sharing service in Quebec City. Launched in 2021, the network consists of 165 stations and 1,800 bicycles as of 2025.
History
àVélo was launched for the first time on July 9, 2021. During this initial season, 10 stations and 100 electric-assist bicycles were deployed in downtown Quebec City. Quebec became the first city in Canada with an entirely electric-assist network,[1] a feature made necessary due to the city’s topography.
Initially, the service was planned to grow annually from 2021 to 2024 to reach 100 stations and 1,000 bicycles. Its rapid success led to the announcement of an additional expansion plan that will allow it to serve a larger area by deploying up to 330 stations and 3,300 bicycles by 2028.[2]
In 2025, the operating season was extended to allow for longer use in the fall. The service’s closing date was moved from October 31 to November 15.[3]
Operations
Lyft Urban Solutions is the provider of the network’s equipment. Capitale Mobilité, a limited partnership of Réseau de transport de la Capitale, is responsible for operations.
Bike
The service uses the E-FIT model from the Quebec-based manufacturer Devinci. Weighing 27 kg, it is powered by a 250-watt Brose electric-assist motor limited to 32 km/h. It features a 3-speed twist handle to adjust pedaling cadence according to the terrain. The bicycle is equipped with an LCD screen displaying trip duration, speed, and battery charge level. It also transmits its location data via GPS.[4]
Stations
There are currently two types of stations: electrified or solar-powered. In the first case, the station is connected to the electrical grid and allows bicycles to be recharged. In the second type, solar energy only powers the service terminal and does not charge the bicycles. The bicycles are manually swapped by employees.[5]
Ridership
In 2023, the target of 350,000 trips for the full season was surpassed as early as August.[6] By the end of the season, nearly twice that number of trips had been completed. In 2024, the goal of 1.1 million trips was also exceeded in September, more than a month before the season ended.[6] That same year, the busiest station was Place D'Youville, with 34,276 departures.[7] The 2025 season broke yet other records, with close to two million registered trips. More than 42,000 different clients used the bike-sharing system[8].
| Year | Stations | Bikes | Journeys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 10 | 100 | 29,100[9] |
| 2022 | 40 | 400 | 185,200[10] |
| 2023 | 74 | 780 | 670,800[11] |
| 2024 | 115 | 1,300 | 1,281,000[12] |
| 2025 | 165 | 1,800 | 1,980,000 |
| 2026 | 225 | 2,300 | - |
| 2027 | 280 | 2,800 | - |
| 2028 | 330 | 3,300 | - |
References
- ^ Mercier, Marie-Pier (2021-07-07). "Le vélopartage fait son entrée à Québec" [Bike-sharing arrives in Québec]. Radio-Canada (in Canadian French).
- ^ "Bonification importante du service àVélo d'ici 2028". www.rtcquebec.ca (in French). 2024-05-06. Retrieved 2020-12-20.
- ^ Pelletier, Émilie (2025-04-08). ""Le plus gros déploiement de l'histoire" d'àVélo à venir" [“The largest deployment in àVélo’s history” coming soon]. Le Soleil (in Canadian French).
- ^ "Cet été on roule électrique à Québec !". Lyft Urban Solutions Solutions Urbaines (in French). 2021-03-23.
- ^ "Stations". àVélo. Retrieved 2025-05-04.
- ^ a b Chouinard, Érik (2023-11-06). "Le service àVélo a presque doublé son objectif". Radio-Canada (in Canadian French).
- ^ Chouinard, Érik (2024-11-10). "En chiffres : la popularité d'àVélo et son tiède accueil à Loretteville". Radio-Canada (in Canadian French).
- ^ ICI.Radio-Canada.ca, Zone Société- (2025-11-18). "Une autre saison record pour àVélo avec près de 2 millions de déplacements". Radio-Canada (in Canadian French). Retrieved 2025-11-18.
- ^ Duval, Alexandre (2021-11-09). "Près de 30 000 déplacements pour la première saison du service àVélo". Radio-Canada (in Canadian French). Retrieved 2024-12-20.
- ^ Lavallée, Jean-Luc (2022-11-02). "Vélopartage : Six fois plus de déplacements à Québec en 2022". Le Journal de Québec (in Canadian French). Retrieved 2024-12-20.
- ^ Chouinard, Érik (2023-11-06). "Le service àVélo a preque doublé son objectif". Radio-Canada (in Canadian French). Retrieved 2024-12-20.
- ^ Verret, Thomas (2024-11-05). "1,3 million de déplacements pour la 4e saison d'àVélo". Mon Quartier (in Canadian French). Retrieved 2024-12-20.