| Bixi | |
|---|---|
| Info | |
| Owner | Public Bike System Company |
| Locale | Montreal, Quebec |
| Transit type | Bicycle sharing system |
| Number of stations | 405 (2011) |
| Annual ridership | 4,174,917 (2011) |
| Website | https://montreal.bixi.com |
| Call Centre | 1-877-820-2453 |
| Operation | |
| Began operation | 2009 |
| Number of vehicles | 5,050 (2011) |
Bixi (styled as BIXI in some marketing pieces) is a public bicycle sharing system serving Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Launched in May 2009, it is the original Bixi system.
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The system was launched on May 12 2009, with 3000 bicycles and 300 stations located around Montreal's central core,[1] and it expanded to 5,000 bicycles and 400 stations later that summer.[2] Bixi marked its one-millionth ride on October 26, 2009.[3]
A complete station is made up of a pay station, bikes, and bike docks (where the bikes are housed), which are fitted into modular technical platforms that are powered by solar panels. These technical 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, enabling the installation of a bike station as an adjunct to on-street parking.
Bike docks serve to house and lock bikes. Made from aluminium, these modular docking stations are formed by a combination of groups of four docks, which are modular themselves. Inspired by ANAT technology, the bike dock's modularity allows a pay station to be deployed in the place of a single dock. Maintenace and repair of the system is simplified thanks to a removable module present in every docking station which contains the locking system and all critical components that allow the system to function. In case of repairs, this module can be replaced with an identical one immediately, reducing the down-time of the system. The locking system is based on an energy efficient actuator used in the medical sector. The principal inventor of these systems is Charles Khairallah,[4] president of Robotics Design,[5][6][7][8] with co-inventor Michel Dallaire, president of Michel Dallaire Industrial Design.[9]
Users can rent a bike using a subscriber key (a "Bixi key") obtained through a long-term online subscription (30 days or annual) or an access code provided by the pay station (24-hour access). Pay stations are touchscreen-operated and only accept credit cards. A button is used to notify Bixi mechanics of defective bicycles.
The bicycles are utility bicycles with a unisex step-through frame.
The one-piece aluminum frame and handlebars conceal cables in an effort to protect them from vandalism and inclement weather. The heavy-duty tires are designed to be puncture-resistant and are filled with nitrogen to maintain proper inflation pressure longer.[10] Twin LED rear lights are integrated into the frame, and the robust frame weighs approximately 18 kg. The bikes are designed by industrial designer Michel Dallaire and built in the Saguenay, Quebec region by Cycles Devinci, with aluminum provided by Rio Tinto Alcan.[11]
In order to use the system, users need to take out a subscription, which allows the subscriber an unlimited number of rentals under 45 minutes. A trip that lasts longer than this no-charge time period incurs additional charges, on an increasing price scale. The increasing price scale is intended to keep the bikes in circulation. Subscriptions can be purchased at $5 per day (at a pay station only), $28 per month or $78 per year.
Montreal Rates (not including the subscription):[12]
| time | first 45 minutes | up to 60 minutes | 61 to 90 minutes | subsequent 30 minute periods | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| rate | included | $1.50 | $3.00 | $6.00 |
The project was included in the transportation plan for the City of Montreal, which aimed at encouraging active means of transportation, like bikes. The program is run by the city's parking authority, Stationnement de Montréal.[1]
The location of a Bixi bike station is determined by several parameters, including population density, points of interest and activities (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 2011, the system has spread to Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension, Ahuntsic, Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Westmount and Verdun.
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. The La Presse newspaper reported on July 5, 2009 that one in five bikes had been damaged and 15% of bike racks are defective. Stationnement de Montréal communications director Michel Philibert stated the organization plans to reinforce racks and is testing prototype designs.[19] Designer Michel Dallaire stated it never occurred to him that people would try to break the stations to steal bikes.[15] There have since been no significant damage or vandalism issues reported in any of the installations of BIXI.
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