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Comments (3)
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Save/ShareBack in March, we reported on the new bike-sharing program in Montreal called Bixi (a combo of the words bike and taxi). The inexpensive program allows travelers to rent a bike in one solar-powered station and return it at another, all for about $5 plus a usage fee. The first 30 minutes are free.
After some initial, to-be-expected glitches, Bixi has been a success in Montreal, so much so that the model has been picked up by two major metropolitan centers—Boston and London.
[+] Enlarge photo
Bike-sharing programs are like eco-friendly taxis. You pick up and leave the bike at a spot that's convenient for you while being kind to nature in the process. Possibly the most famous bike-sharing program is Paris's Velib system; according to the Montreal Gazette, the city of Paris estimates the two-year-old program has saved about 15,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions per 20,000 bikes. The Velib is not without problems, though. A recent New York Times story reported that 80 percent of the program's 20,600 original bikes were vandalized or stolen. This doesn't seem to be happening in Montreal. The Velib also requires a certain kind of credit card to work; it remains to be seen whether London's system will have this same kind of restriction. Stay tuned!
See our video on how to use Paris's Velib bike system.
New York City: Free bikes for downtown visitors
Rent a Bike in Europe for Nearly Nothing
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I'm afraid you've misstated how renting a Bixi works. Allow me to better explain the pay structure:
1-To use a Bixi, you first need a subscription. There are 3 types of subscriptions available: a 24-hour subscription costs 5$, a monthly subscription costs 28$ and a yearly subscription costs 78$.
2-The 24-hour subscriptions are the only ones available directly at the Bixi stations, with a credit card. You need to use the internet to sign up for the other 2 types, and then wait for your Bixi key to arrive in the mail.
3-Once you have 'subscribed', you then have access to an unlimited number of half-hour rentals at no additional cost, until your subscription period expires. This half-hour system is designed to keep the bikes circulating and available so that a maximum number of people can make use of them.
4-If you keep a bike longer than half an hour, you incur additional incremental costs. This makes users more likely to return a bike to a station, rather than secure it with their own lock somewhere while they go see a movie, thereby preventing anyone else from using it for those 2 hours, for example. Again, the idea is to keep the bikes on hand and in circulation.
As a regular user, I can say that there is rarely a need to keep a bike longer than a half-hour. The stations are everywhere and are quite visible. If you arrive at a station that is full, you can enter your code or key, and get an additional 15 minutes to find another station, for example. There are maps at every station, allowing you to plan out your trip, so you'll rarely, if ever, pay surcharges.
Posted By BixouInfo on November 9, 2009, 2:21 AM
Thanks, BixouInfo, for your detailed explanation of the way the Bixi system works. Great to hear that you are a regular user!
Posted By JD Rinne on November 9, 2009, 10:20 AM
This sounds like a great idea for getting around and encouraging physical activity and a lower carbon footprint.
However, my concern is that tons of people are renting these bikes and then riding around without a helmet on-- I imagine people who live in the cities would have access to their own helmet, but for travelers its not exactly carry on luggage to bring a bike helmet. Especially since these are popping in huge cities with huge traffic problems...
Posted By mountaineer on November 9, 2009, 11:29 PM