Montreal's Bixi Bikes

Posted: June 5th, 2009 | Author: | Tags: , | 7 Comments »

I tried out the Bixi bike rental system last weekend. Many people have already written about them so I thought I would add my cents as well.

empty Bixi standBixi stand

Pros:

  • Convenient locations around downtown
  • Cheap prices if you get a yearly subscription and use less than 30 minutes each time
  • You can rent friggin’ bikes!
  • Promotes biking in the city

Cons:

  • Requires one credit card per bike rented
  • Puts a hold on $250 in your credit card each time you use it
  • Instructions for some things (like the 24-hr access) not very clear
  • Lack of billboard with info on nearby rental stations.

Another side-effect of the design of the system: When I tried to get a bike to go back home, the first station had no bikes, but luckily the one where I had returned my bike still had one left.
Oh, and here’s an official video from Bixi explaining how the 24-hr access works.

BIXI – 24-hour access from BIXI on Vimeo.