The àVélo system is managed by Capitale Mobilité, a limited partnership of the Réseau de transport de la Capitale (RTC), which provides public bus transportation for Quebec City and the surrounding area. At the RTC's initiative, the àVélo program was launched in July 2021 with 10 stations and 100 electric-assist bikes; the system now boasts 115 stations and 1,300 bikes!
115
stations
1,300
bikes
66,500
rebalancing operations in 2023
670,700
trips in 2023
2022 is the beginning of the partnership between Capitale Mobilité and Qucit!
In 2022, the partnership between Capitale Mobilité and Qucit began, with more than 66,500 rebalancing and battery swap operations performed by the teams!
For this fourth year, 1,300 electrically-assisted bicycles are available in 115 stations on the àVélo system!
Solution
An intuitive software based on Artificial Intelligence
Since May 2022, Capitale Mobilité has used the Qucit Bike software stack to improve its operational efficiency. Qucit Bike consists of:
An intuitive mobile application for rebalancers that optimizes routes and tasks to be performed in real time;
A dashboard for the Operations Manager that allows them to track key productivity indicators, key system performance metrics and simplify the management of field agents.
Pierre Béranger testimony
Project Manager for Bike Sharing Operations
▶ What was the challenge you were facing before working with Qucit?
"Before working with Qucit, our field operators had to analyze a dataset themselves to set up their rebalancing tour.
In doing so, a lot of room was left to the free will of each individual and the whole lacked homogeneity and optimization in task selection and prioritization. "
▶ How has Qucit Bike Redistribution's technology impacted your day-to-day operations, especially in terms of rebalancing?
"The Qucit Bike technology has impacted different aspects of our operations. On the one hand, it simplifies the management of regulation tasks by facilitating their distribution in the field for our field operators.
On the other hand, the tool allows for better tracking of distances traveled, the number of actions performed by our crews and the tasks performed. "
▶ What has been the feedback from the field operators since the use of Qucit Bike software?
"Overall, all operators have found the switch to Qucit to be positive and to make their daily tasks easier. Some operators initially felt they were losing flexibility; however, after several weeks of use, that feeling had disappeared. "
▶ How did the training phase for the Qucit Bike tool go for the Vélosolutions teams in the field?
"The managers received the initial training first and then were able to train the field teams afterwards so that we could start using Qucit Bike.”
▶ How does the Qucit Bike tool help you ensure that your electrically-assisted bikes are charged, while optimizing your operators' trips in the field?
“Qucit provides real-time information on the number of bike batteries that need to be swapped at each station and suggests nearby operators to perform the task.
This allows our field operators to move efficiently between each station with enough batteries to perform the swapping task. Indeed, operators will be able to select the right task corresponding to the right number of batteries to swap, without having to go through all the stations and check each bike to know its charge level, as it was done before the implementation of Qucit. "
