It is with great enthusiasm that BIXI Montreal and the City of Montreal kick off the 2023 BIXI season today, three days earlier than usual. Celebrating the start of the 15th season of the bike-sharing service, Alexandre Taillefer, President of BIXI Montreal, and Sophie Mauzerolle, member of the Executive Committee responsible for transportation and mobility for the City of Montreal, took the opportunity to announce some big news: the BIXI service will be available year round starting in 2023.
“As BIXI Montreal celebrates the kick-off of its 15th season alongside numerous collaborators and its new presenting partner, Loto-Québec, we are very proud that Montreal was the very first city in North America to debut a large-scale bike-sharing service in 2009. Bike sharing should be a focal point of discussions on improving mobility in Montreal, the suburbs and throughout Quebec, helping inspire green transportation initiatives. All of the BIXI usage records over the past few seasons, including nearly 9 million trips made by half a million users in 2022, demonstrates its undisputed leadership in active mobility,” explains Alexandre Taillefer, President of BIXI Montreal.
YEAR-ROUND BIXI: PILOT AREA OF 150 STATIONS
For the first time ever, BIXI will continue to be available after November 15, 365 days a year, within a 100-km2 pilot area near the cycling network’s main arteries, in particular the EBN (Express Bike Network).
“The City of Montreal is pleased to announce a pilot project with 150 BIXI stations accessible year round, spread out along certain main biking routes. Already recognized as one of North America’s leading cities in terms of cycling infrastructure, Montreal has the potential to become a city with year-round cycling. Cycling infrastructure is primarily operated from an annual perspective, and the advent of the EBN reflects our vision of mobility and city planning that is adapted to our sustainable development goals,” announced Sophie Mauzerolle, member of the Executive Committee responsible for transportation and mobility for the City of Montreal.
15 YEARS CYCLING THROUGH GREATER MONTREAL AND 4 YEARS OF THE ELECTRIC REVOLUTION
Since its establishment, has won over thousands of cycling enthusiasts and has made a remarkable difference in the city’s environmental footprint, with an estimated 175 million kilometres cycled, as well as 35,000 tonnes of CO2 and 17 million litres of fuel saved.
After the addition of 414 new bikes, 36 new stations and 1,468 additional docking points in 2023, the network will now have 865 stations and 10,000 bikes (including 2,600 electric bikes).
“The arrival of the electric bike-sharing in 2019 (and electric bikes in general) was truly revolutionary in terms of mobility. According to recent studies by Vélo-Québec, between 20% and 86% of car travel can now be done on an electric bike, which shows the enormous potential for growth in BIXI electric bike use in the future. An inspiring green and active mobility movement is growing just about everywhere, and BIXI is one of its pioneers and proudest representatives,” added Alexandre Taillefer.
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