As BIXI’s 10th season comes to an end on Thursday evening, BIXI MONTRÉAL continues to celebrate this anniversary! We hit a record high of more than 5.3 million rides in a single season in 2018, which is an 11.3% increase compared with 2017. With the ridership rate constantly rising year after year, BIXI MONTRÉAL President Marie Elaine Farley says that she is very proud of what has been achieved so far: “By enhancing the client experience and continuing to innovate with the collaboration of important partners who are committed to improving urban mobility, including our presenting partner Manuvie, BIXI MONTRÉAL has shown its capacity to renew itself. We are proud of contributing to the cycling modal share in Greater Montreal through an offering that is ever more diversified and accessible to the public and visitors alike.”
Ms. Farley also underscores the success of innovative initiatives that can respond to clients’ present and future needs. “New products, implementation of a corporate sales service that is more popular than ever, pilot projects for electric bicycles, BIXI laser for client safety, attractive new prices and the rollout of an OPUS payment system combining public transit and bike-sharing are a few examples which speak for BIXI’s vitality over the past five years,” she adds.
A LARGER NETWORK IN 2019: FIVE NEW BOROUGHS WILL BE SERVED
Since its launch in Montreal, 1.3 million Bixists have clocked more than 38 million rides, which shows Montrealers’ captivation for the BIXI service. In a context where traffic jams, environmental preservation and the role of cars in the urban setting are topics of concern, a bike-sharing service such as BIXI is proving to be more relevant than ever. As increased use is projected for the next few years, the City of Montreal announced in August that the BIXI network would start expanding from 2019.
“BIXI, at the heart of the city’s future development plans, is an integral part of promotion strategies for active transportation modes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to a higher quality of life. The addition of 1,000 new self-service bikes and installation of 60 new stations will enable BIXI to be even more present in the Montreal area. Also, an investment of $15 million will pave the way for 48 bike path development projects to be implemented and the existing network to be upgraded so that is safer and more user-friendly. To date, the network has 879 km of bike paths, making Montrealers prouder than ever,” says Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante.
60 new stations, 2,625 docking points and 1,000 additional bicycles will be in service from next spring. So, BIXI will be present in five new boroughs, that is, Lachine, Saint-Laurent, Montreal-Nord, Anjou and Saint-Leonard. Currently, BIXI is working together with the boroughs to finalize the location of new stations.
