Bixi (bicycle share system)

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Bixi
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Bixi station
Overview
OwnerCity of Montreal
LocaleGreater Montreal and Sherbrooke, Quebec
Transit typeBicycle sharing system
Number of stations900 (2024)
Annual ridership13 million (2024)
[1]
Websitehttps://bixi.com/
Operation
Began operation2009
Number of vehicles12,600, including 2,600 electric (2025)

Bixi (often stylized as bIXI) is a public bicycle sharing system originally serving the metropolitan area of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Starting July 2025, it also operates in the city of Sherbrooke.[2]

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.[3][4] 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.[5]

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.[6][7] In 2025, the magazine Time listed Bixi as one of the 25 best inventions of the 21st century, citing its innovative design and influence on other major bicycle sharing programs.[8]

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.[9]

System components

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A complete station is made up of a pay station and the bikes themselves, with each bike sitting in its own dock and the docks fitted into solar panel-powered modular platforms. These platforms are the base and electronic ports for pay stations and bike docks. Bike docks are used to store and lock bikes, and can receive bike returns.

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Bixi bike in front of a Montreal mural
Bixi pay station with small touchscreen and credit card slot
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.[10] Some bikes have studded tires for winter riding. Twin LED rear lights are found inside the frame, and the sturdy frame weighs approximately Template:Cvt. 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.[11]

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.[12]

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.[13][14][15][16] 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.[17]
  • Michel Dallaire created the design of the physical components.[18][19]
  • Robotics Design created the modular bike dock and intelligent locking system.[20]
  • Cycles Devinci manufactures Bixi bikes in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec.[21]
  • Rio Tinto Alcan is the title sponsor of the Bixi program and provides aluminum for the bikes.[22]
  • Morrow Communications.[23]

Station network

A row of parked bikes in a park
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 300 pay stations[24] 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, the Bixi fleet has expanded to more than 11,000 bikes, about 2,600 of which are electric, in more than 900 stations.[25] The network has spread outside of Montreal Island, with stations located in the suburban cities of Laval, Longueuil, Boucherville, Terrebonne and Sainte-Julie.[26] Many stations are removed for the winter.

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.[27] Designer Michel Dallaire said it never occurred to him that people would try to break the stations to steal bikes.[19] 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,[28][29][30][31] 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.[32] Eventually, this contributed to the company's filing for bankruptcy in January 2014.[33][34][35][36] The international division was renamed PBSC Urban Solutions and continued to extend its activities in several countries, including United States,[37][38] Canada,[39] and Mexico.[37][40]

See also

References

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  1. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Bixi reports record 13 million rides in 2024". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
  2. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Vérité-Lapointe, Emmanuelle. "Lancement de BIXI à Sherbrooke: «L'essayer, c'est l'adopter»". La Tribune. La Tribune. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
  3. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Yu, Alan (21 January 2014). "Big Bike-Sharing Supplier's Bankruptcy Doesn't Doom U.S. Programs". NPR. Retrieved 2016-06-17.
  4. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Once bankrupt, Montreal's Bixi can't keep up with global demand". www.cbc.ca. Retrieved 2016-06-17.
  5. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Bixi needs Montrealers to 'show their love': Denis Coderre". CBC News. 2014-03-24. Retrieved 2016-08-23.
  6. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Shared Micromobility in the U.S. and Canada: 2023" (PDF). National Association of City Transportation Officials. July 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  7. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."NYC gets its own version of Bixi". CBC News. 27 May 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  8. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Fabry, Merrill (9 October 2025). "TIME Best Inventions Hall of Fame". Time. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  9. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Marchal, Mathias (9 April 2018). "Dix choses que vous ne saviez (probablement) toujours pas sur BIXI". Journal Métro (in français). Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  10. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Ross Lydall (2010-05-21). "Taking a ride on Boris's hot wheels hire bikes". London Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 2010-06-29. Retrieved 2010-06-29.
  11. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Thomas, Katelyn (27 August 2019). "Montreal adds 100 electric Bixis to fleet, will cost $1 extra per ride". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  12. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Hamilton, Graeme (2009-10-26). "Part bicycle, part taxi". CBC News.
  13. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Mc Kenna, Alain (21 November 2008). "La technologie québécoise intéresse les étrangers". La Presse. Archived from the original on 14 October 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  14. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Swedberg, Claire (17 July 2008). "Montreal RFID-enabled Bike Project Picks Up Speed". RFID Journal. Archived from the original on August 26, 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  15. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Lau, Kathleen (10 November 2008). "Wireless, solar power drives Montreal bike rentals". IT World Canada. ITWC. Archived from the original on September 20, 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  16. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Beaulieu, Alain (22 October 2008). "8D: la nouvelle dimension du vélo urbain". Direction informatique. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  17. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."www.8d.com". www.8d.com. Archived from the original on 2011-02-24. Retrieved 2011-02-23.
  18. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."www.dallairedesign.com". www.dallairedesign.com. Archived from the original on 1998-12-05. Retrieved 2011-02-23.
  19. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.HALFNIGHT, ANDREW (August 17, 2009). "Picking the brain of Bixi's inventor". Montreal Gazette. Canwest. Retrieved 2009-08-22.
  20. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."roboticsDesign". roboticsDesign. Archived from the original on 2011-03-13. Retrieved 2011-02-23.
  21. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."www.devinci.com" (in français). www.devinci.com. Retrieved 2011-02-23.
  22. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Rio Tinto Alcan and BIXI: a partnership on a roll" (Press release). Rio Tinto Alcan. 2008-10-28. Retrieved 2009-09-14.
  23. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."www.morrow.ca". www.morrow.ca. Retrieved 2011-02-23.
  24. ^ “Montréal Bike Share Program.” Lyft Urban Solutions, 2019, www.lyfturbansolutions.com/cities/montreal-bike-share Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
  25. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Ouellette-Vézina, Henri (16 October 2024). "Saison 2025: BIXI Montréal ajoutera encore plus d'un millier de vélos à son parc". La Presse (in français). Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  26. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Nicastro, Lylou (26 November 2024). "BIXI: Plus de 13 millions de déplacements en 2024". La Presse (in français). Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  27. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Cameron, Daphné (2009-07-05). "Robuste, le Bixi?". La Presse (in français). Retrieved 2009-07-12.
  28. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Lyon, Cody. "The Drama Behind the Bike Share Delay". Retrieved 2016-08-23.
  29. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."8D Technologies Sues BiXi Bike Share for 26 Million – New York, Chattanooga and San Francisco Deployments Delayed". Public Bike Share. 2012-04-30. Archived from the original on 2016-10-10. Retrieved 2016-08-23.
  30. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Bixi's broken spokes - Macleans.ca". 2013-12-11. Retrieved 2016-08-23.
  31. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.McGreal, Ryan. "Hamilton Lucked Out With Bike-Share - Raise the Hammer". www.raisethehammer.org. Retrieved 2016-08-23.
  32. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."National Post".
  33. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Wright, Robert (2014-01-21). "Public Bicycle-Sharing Company wobbles into bankruptcy". Financial Times. ISSN 0307-1766. Retrieved 2016-08-23.
  34. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Bixi files for bankruptcy - The Fulcrum". 2014-01-30. Retrieved 2016-08-23.
  35. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."CitiBikes' Canadian manufacturer files for bankruptcy: report". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2016-08-23.
  36. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Riga, Andy. "Montrealers might be on hook for Bixi woes". Retrieved 2016-08-23.
  37. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.International, Radio Canada (2016-04-15). "PBSC bikes around the world". Radio Canada International. Retrieved 2016-06-16.
  38. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."L'ancien BIXI international en mode croissance". Métro (in français). 13 May 2015. Retrieved 2016-06-16.
  39. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Once bankrupt, Montreal's Bixi can't keep up with global demand". www.cbc.ca. Retrieved 2016-06-16.
  40. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."PBSC Urban Solutions launched Huizi Toluca, the city's brand new bike-sharing program". www.sibrtonline.org. Archived from the original on 2018-01-13. Retrieved 2016-06-16.

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