September 23/08 11:22 am - Montreal Launches Bike-rental Program

Posted by Editoress on 09/23/08
 

Montreal Unveils Ambitious Bike-rental Program
Source CBC.ca

'BIXIs' will be available at 300 stations across the city

Montreal introduced a new self-service, bike-rental system on Sunday modelled after the highly successful Vélib' program in Paris.

So far there are only 40 of the bicycles available - the city calls them BIXIs, a mix of bicycle and taxi - but the plan is to have 2,400 BIXIs in service by next spring. In Paris, the Vélib' service provides more than 10,000 bicycles.

"It's not for long trips. You ride it and you return it, and [for] the first half hour there's no charge," Mayor Gérald Tremblay said Sunday.

"We sincerely believe that a lot of citizens who are not presently commuting with a bicycle will use the bicycles," he said.

The service will cost $28 a month, or $78 for seven months. Users can buy a day pass for $5.

Read the rest of the article at CBC.ca

See also It's a bike, it's a taxi, it's a self-serve BIXI

Montreal Gazette

NOTE: The BIXI bicycles were designed by Canadian manufacturer Devinci