Investments in the new public network of electrically assisted bicycles in Québec (àVélo) paid off during the summer season. In one year, the number of trips made on these two wheels has increased from 30,000 to 185,200.
The City has therefore surpassed its objective of exceeding 180,000 trips this year, indicates the Réseau de transport de la Capitale (RTC), which administers this program in addition to the bus fleet.
It must be said that the City had created favorable conditions by increasing the number of stations from 10 to 40 and the number of bicycles from 100 to 400, in addition to improving the price list.
In the capital, the service makes it easier for cyclists to take the very steep hills that run along the territory from east to west. The stations are located between the Old Port sector and Cégep Garneau, in upper and lower town up to the Grand Marché.
The most used are in the Saint-Roch and Limoilou districts, according to statistics made public by the RTC. It also appears that it was during the Summer Festival period, in July, that the service was most popular.
The RTC intends to continue àVélo’s growth next year by deploying 30 additional stations in the territory. By 2024, the network should be available as far as Laval University and have a total of 1,000 bikes and 100 stations.
In Montreal, the development of the electric bicycle fleet has contributed to the success of BIXI in recent years. In 2021, there were 1.3 million trips by electric bike.
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