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.

7 Comments on “Montreal's Bixi Bikes”

  1. 1 Ali B. said at 5:10 pm on June 5th, 2009:

    This is very cool. I fell in love with this when I saw it in paris and rome. Its great for dense cities. Wouldn't work in less dense ones.

  2. 2 Ali B. said at 12:10 am on June 6th, 2009:

    This is very cool. I fell in love with this when I saw it in paris and rome. Its great for dense cities. Wouldn’t work in less dense ones.

  3. 3 khosrow said at 8:16 pm on June 7th, 2009:

    It’s a great idea. Not only does it encourage physical activity, it also helps people stay in their neighbourhoods and make more cohesive communities. Too bad most North American cities are designed for the car and so making a system like this is difficult in most cities (like you mentioned).

  4. 4 Robert said at 5:18 am on August 13th, 2009:

    True.. but Montreal is in North America, and they have bike lanes everywhere.. many with concrete separations from vehicular traffic..

    Toronto has bike lanes (not many, but growing) – but it doesn’t compare at all to Montreal.. what a great city for biking, and so many people bike there!!

    I think it’s possible to put in bike lanes just about anywhere..

  5. 5 khosrow said at 1:16 pm on June 7th, 2009:

    It's a great idea. Not only does it encourage physical activity, it also helps people stay in their neighbourhoods and make more cohesive communities. Too bad most North American cities are designed for the car and so making a system like this is difficult in most cities (like you mentioned).

  6. 6 Robert said at 10:18 pm on August 12th, 2009:

    True.. but Montreal is in North America, and they have bike lanes everywhere.. many with concrete separations from vehicular traffic..

    Toronto has bike lanes (not many, but growing) – but it doesn't compare at all to Montreal.. what a great city for biking, and so many people bike there!!

    I think it's possible to put in bike lanes just about anywhere..

  7. 7 Robert said at 5:18 am on August 13th, 2009:

    True.. but Montreal is in North America, and they have bike lanes everywhere.. many with concrete separations from vehicular traffic..

    Toronto has bike lanes (not many, but growing) – but it doesn't compare at all to Montreal.. what a great city for biking, and so many people bike there!!

    I think it's possible to put in bike lanes just about anywhere..