After months of delays, the national capital’s dormant bike-sharing network is re-launching with a catchy new name and shiny new bicycles.
The program formerly known as Capital BIXI will now be called VeloGo, its private operator announced on Friday.
CycleHop, the Miami company that bought the National Capital Commission’s network of bikes and locking stations in April, is opening five bike-share stations on select days starting this weekend to demonstrate the new system.
Three of the new stations are in Ottawa and two are in Gatineau.
The company has also launched a snazzy new VeloGo website where new members can sign up and see how the bike-sharing system works.
It might seem odd for a new bike-sharing service to launch in October, when the leaves are starting to fall. But this is a soft launch for the network; CycleHop says the full VeloGo system will launch in the spring.
When CycleHop took over Capital BIXI’s 250 bikes and 25 locking stations in April, the company’s chief executive said the program would launch by summer.
That was later pushed back to August. In mid-August, the company said transferring the program from one supplier to another required more time, and it wouldn’t fully launch until spring 2015.
CycleHop chose Social Bicycles, the company that is running Hamilton’s new bike-sharing network, to provide equipment for VeloGo.
The demonstrations will show off the company’s “Smart Bike” technology, which allows users to lock their bikes to any old rack once they’re finished. Likewise, users can earn credit on their accounts by taking stray bikes and locking them to stations.
Bikes can be reserved from the VeloGo mobile app, website or on the bike itself using its keypad.
CycleHop intends to expand the VeloGo network to 50 stations, doubling its previous size.
The NCC sold its network of Bixi stations after Public Bike System Co., the City of Montreal-controlled non-profit company that had a contract to run Capital Bixi until 2015, filed for bankruptcy protection.
Dates
Here are the demonstration dates for the new system, which CycleHop said the public is invited to try. Demonstration hours will be 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends.
Ottawa
- Murray Street at Mackenzie Avenue: Oct. 12, 17, 23 and 29; Nov. 4 and 10.
- Queen Elizabeth Driveway at Somerset Street: Oct. 10, 15, 21 and 26; Nov. 1, 7 and 14.
- Queen Elizabeth Driveway at Pretoria Bridge: Oct. 11, 16, 22 and 28; Nov. 3, 9 and 15.
Gatineau
- Laurier and Victoria streets: Oct. 13, 18, 24 and 30; Nov. 5 and 12.
- Laurier Street at Allumettières Boulevard: Oct. 14, 20, 25 and 31; Nov. 6 and 13.
