Bixi (bicycle share system)

Bixi (sometimes stylized as BIXI) is a public bicycle sharing system serving the metropolitan area of Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Bixi
Bixi station
Overview
Owner	City of Montreal
Locale	Montreal, Quebec
Transit type	Bicycle sharing system
Number of stations	900 (2024)
Annual ridership	13 million (2024) [1]
Website	https://montreal.bixi.com
Operation
Began operation	2009
Number of vehicles	11,000, including 2,600 electric (2024)

Launched in May 2009 by Public Bike System Company (PBSC), it is North America's first large-scale bike sharing system and the original Bixi brand of systems. PBSC filed for bankruptcy at the beginning of 2014 after the company started experiencing financial difficulties in late 2013.^[2][3] The City of Montreal then bought PBSC's assets for $11.9 million in February 2014 and created Bixi Montréal, a non-profit entity, to run the bike sharing operations.^[4]

In 2023, Bixi was the second-most used bicycle sharing system in the U.S. and Canada, behind only the Citi Bikes of New York City, which are modelled after Bixi.^[5][6]

Name

Bixi is a portmanteau of "bicyclette" (French for "bicycle") and "taxi", underlining the concept of being able to hail a bicycle just like a taxi. The name was coined by Michel Gourdeau, who won a public competition to find the best name for the service when it was first introduced in Montreal. The prize for the winner was a Bixi pass for life.^[7]

System components

See also: PBSC Urban Solutions § Equipment

A complete station is made up of a pay station, bikes, and bike docks (where the bikes are kept), which are fitted into modular platforms powered by solar panels. These platforms are the base and electronic ports for pay stations and bike docks. Bike stations can be created, expanded, configured, and removed in about half an hour, monitored by a real-time management system. Excavation or preparatory work is not required, allowing the installation of a bike station as an addition to on-street parking.

Bike dock and locking system

Bike docks are used to store and lock bikes. These modular docking stations are formed by a combination of groups of four docks. The bike dock's modularity allows a pay station to be used in the place of a single dock. Maintenance and repair of the system is simple because of a removable module present in every docking station, which contains the locking system and all necessary parts that allow the system to function. In case of repairs, this module can be replaced with an identical one immediately, reducing the downtime of the system. The locking system is based on an energy-efficient motor used in the medical sector. The principal inventor of these systems is Charles Khairallah,^[8] president of Robotics Design,^{[9][10][11][12]} with co-inventor Michel Dallaire, president of Michel Dallaire Industrial Design.^[13]

Bikes

A Bixi bike and a pay station

The bicycles are utility bicycles with unisex step-through frames and three gears. The one-piece aluminum frame and handlebars hide cables in an effort to protect them from tampering and harsh weather conditions. The heavy-duty tires are designed to be puncture-resistant and are filled with nitrogen gas to maintain proper pressure for longer.^[14] Twin LED rear lights are found inside the frame, and the sturdy frame weighs approximately 18 kg (40 lb). White LED lights are found in the front of the bike. The bikes are built in Saguenay, Quebec, by Cycles Devinci. Blue electric bicycles were added to the Bixi fleet in 2019.^[15]

Pay station

Users can rent a bike using a subscriber key (a "Bixi key") obtained through a long-term (30-day or annual) online subscription or an access code provided by the pay station or by downloading and using the Bixi App and scanning the QR code located on the bike. The App also contains a network map with locations of other bike stands and the number of bikes or spaces available per station. Pay stations are touchscreen-operated and only accept credit cards. A button is used to notify Bixi mechanics of bicycles requiring servicing.^{[citation needed]}

Development

Stationnement de Montréal

The project was included in the transportation plan for the City of Montreal, which aimed at encouraging active modes of transportation, such as bicycle. The program is run by the city's parking authority, Stationnement de Montréal.^[16]

Other developers

• 8D Technologies developed the technological platform behind the Bixi system, including the wireless bike station terminals, RFID bike dock technology, and all software systems.^{[17][18][19][20]} The system runs on solar energy to reduce environmental impact and maximize energy efficiency. 8D also created the Spotcycle bike-share smartphone app that locates and shows the status of bike stations close to the users.^[21]
• Michel Dallaire created the design of the physical components.^[22][23]
• Robotics Design created the modular bike dock and intelligent locking system.^[24]
• Cycles Devinci manufactures Bixi bikes in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec.^[25]
• Rio Tinto Alcan is the title sponsor of the Bixi program and provides aluminum for the bikes.^[26]
• Morrow Communications.^[27]

Station network

Parked Bixi bikes in Jeanne-Mance Park

The location of a Bixi bike station is determined by several parameters, including population density, points of interest and activities (e.g., universities), bike paths, other transportation networks, and data on travel patterns of the general public. In 2009, 5,000 bikes were deployed in Montreal through a network of pay stations located mainly in the boroughs of Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie, the Plateau-Mont-Royal, and Ville-Marie, spilling over into parts of Outremont and the South West. As of 2024^[update], the Bixi fleet has expanded to more than 11,000 bikes, about 2,600 of which are electric, in more than 900 stations.^[28] The network has spread outside of Montreal Island, with stations located in the suburban cities of Laval, Longueuil, Boucherville, Terrebonne and Sainte-Julie.^[29]

Difficulties

Montreal's Bixi system experienced some initial difficulties less than two months after its introduction in 2009, with damage and vandalism to some of the bikes. La Presse reported on July 5, 2009, that one in five bikes had been damaged and 15% of bike racks had become defective. Stationnement de Montréal communications director Michel Philibert said that the organization planned to reinforce racks and was testing prototype designs.^[30] Designer Michel Dallaire said it never occurred to him that people would try to break the stations to steal bikes.^[23] Since then, there has been no significant damage or vandalism issues reported in any of the Bixi installations.

The program experienced several serious setbacks and obstacles during its lifetime, including mismanagement, breach-of-contract litigation, and the surmounting of debt,^{[31][32][33][34]} most notably when the City of Montreal was forced to sell the lucrative international division, eliminating the only part of the program that turned a profit.^[35] Eventually, this contributed to the company's filing for bankruptcy in January 2014.^{[36][37][38][39]} The international division was renamed PBSC Urban Solutions and continued to extend its activities in several countries, including United States,^[40][41] Canada,^[42] and Mexico.^[40][43]

See also

• PBSC Urban Solutions
• Bicycle-sharing system
• List of bicycle sharing systems
• Utility cycling - Short-term hire schemes