New Ottawa-Gatineau bike share service VeloGo launches

Ottawa-Gatineaus new bike share program has launched five demonstration stations that will run between now and mid-November.

CapitalBixiwasmanaged by the National Capital Commission for three yearsbefore it was sold to Miami-basedCycleHop, which took over in April.

The company set a target of an August opening date, but said in the middle of that monththey would only be able to offer a demonstration in the falland full service in Spring 2015.

• CycleHop: Ottawa bike share service won't fully launch until 2015
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• Visit VeloGo's website

On Friday, the newly-branded VeloGo opened its first demonstration station at the corner of the Queen Elizabeth Driveway and Somerset Street West, near the Corktown Footbridge.

The rest of the demonstration schedule is as follows:

• At Murray Street and Mackenzie Avenue in Ottawa, near the National Gallery and Majors Hill Park: Oct. 12, 17, 23, 29; Nov. 4, 10.
• At Somerset Street West and the QueenElizabeth Driveway in Ottawa, near the Corktown Footbridge: Oct. 10, 15, 21, 26; Nov. 1, 7, 14.
• At the Pretoria Bridge and Queen Elizabeth Driveway in Ottawa: Oct. 11, 16, 22, 28; Nov. 3, 9, 15.
• At Laurier Street and Victoria Avenue in Gatineau near the Canadian Museum of History: Oct. 13, 18, 24, 30; Nov. 5, 12.
• At Laurier Street and Allumettires Boulevard in Gatineau, near Jacques-Cartier Park: Oct. 14, 20, 25, 31; Nov. 6, 13.

• On mobile? Click here to see a map of the five demonstration locations.

The partnership between CycleHop and New York City-based Social Bicycles works by getting users to punch in an ID number to reserve a bicycle, either online or inperson.

Each bicycle is equipped with a computer, which differs from the old system that required users to take out bicycles from a computerized bike stand.

VeloGo said it still plans to launch its full system in the spring with hope of expanding to 50 locations between Ottawa and Gatineau.

They are taking suggestions for bike share locations on their website, velogo.ca.