bixi bicycle sharing coming to Toronto! But only if we get 1000 members...

[UrbanPoet]

https://profile.toronto.bixi.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bixi

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/Bixi_Rene-Levesque_Beaudry.JPG

Bixi is coming to Toronto!

Bixi is a bicycle sharing system that was first used in Montreal.
The conception... There are bixi stations with bikes all over the city.
You can take a bike out any time you want for 30 minute increments. The first 30 minutes is free with a subscription.

If you go over you get charged. But 30 minutes is sufficient to get you to wherever you need to go.

You cycle to the station nearest to your destination and park there.
If you go over 30 minutes you get charged. This is to encourage people to keep bikes in circulation.

Some stations will be more popular then others... Bixi does have trucks that go around the city redistributing the bikes accordingly to accommodate this.

Sign up now! Bixi needs 1000 members before they can start the system for May 2011!!!

So far they've gotten 200 members on their first 2 days.


For only $95 plus taxes a year, you get the right to an unlimited number of trips, with the first 30 minutes included for each trip, a BIXI-key and a personal Web space My BIXI space (available soon). Usage fees will be charged for longer trips.

see website for more details.

[mork]

I spent a week in Montreal last summer and heavily utilized the Bixi service and LOVED it. It is very convenient.. works without a hitch.. was a great way to see the city too.

I did have 1 or 2 occasions where I wandered to a Bixi station only to find no bikes and had to move along.

Bikes are built solid and provide a good ride.. LED lights/etc. When I got home all I could talk about regarding the trip was the Bixi's! Good on TO if you can get em.

[ben_liu]

I don't want to pay now... ><

[AzN_RiverdaleCI]

I don't want to pay now... ><

This

[sprung]

it is a great service. i used it extensively in both MTL and OTT last summer.

for people worried about availability there is a location based smartphone app on the way that'll let you know what is where when it come to BIXI. that means it can find the closest bike relative to your location.

if you haven't tried the bikes yet they do have a street crew out doing marketing. last weekend i tried the bike in Toronto at the ferry docks.

the map below shows you the initial planned area for bike distribution in Toronto. that means you'll find BIXI hubs throughout the coloured area but, of course, you can take your rental bike anywhere.

http://bikingtoronto.com/files/2010/07/bixi-map1.jpg

[ckhw]

Sounds a good idea but why they need a $4,800,000 loan commitment guaranteed by the City of Toronto? How much is the cost directly and indirectly, and the cost after first 30 minutes?

[MasZakrY]

If there are 20 bikes parked at Union station and the morning rush comes and 20 people take the bikes and ride them up to Queen, King, Dundas, etc... how will they restock those bikes that are now gone from Union for the next people that are constantly coming down via GO? Furthermore, once you arrive at say Queen from Union station you have to hope to hell that there is a bike spot open to deposit the bike or you are left peddling around trying to find a open spot.

EDIT:
To add insult to injury, the supported BIXI area is easily accessible with the TTC. I'm sure people will take this thinking they are saving the environment when the buses/streetcars/subway will be running regardless if you are on them.

The BIXI service is doomed to fail from the start. In London where this service is also available they lost something like 20 million dollars.

[UrbanPoet]

I don't want to pay now... ><


This

Yes... But without your support it won't get off the ground.


Sounds a good idea but why they need a $4,800,000 loan commitment guaranteed by the City of Toronto? How much is the cost directly and indirectly, and the cost after first 30 minutes?

It seems like theres a big start up cost.
But there are many long term benefits.
-eco friendly
-decrease downtown traffic
-convenience for users

Its easy to say "everything sucks" and continue driving our SUV's... But its small things like this that'll help us move towards positive change. It can't just change over night...



If there are 20 bikes parked at Union station and the morning rush comes and 20 people take the bikes and ride them up to Queen, King, Dundas, etc... how will they restock those bikes that are now gone from Union for the next people that are constantly coming down via GO? Furthermore, once you arrive at say Queen from Union station you have to hope to hell that there is a bike spot open to deposit the bike or you are left peddling around trying to find a open spot.

EDIT:
To add insult to injury, the supported BIXI area is easily accessible with the TTC. I'm sure people will take this thinking they are saving the environment when the buses/streetcars/subway will be running regardless if you are on them.

The BIXI service is doomed to fail from the start. In London where this service is also available they lost something like 20 million dollars.

They have trucks that re-distribute the bikes around the city knowing full well this will happen.

As far as being accessible by TTC...
Street cars and buses in Toronto SUCK. They take forever... Never depend on any street car b/c sometimes you'll wait 5 minutes... others you'll wait 20.
There are only so many areas serviced by the subway/

[psyko514]

Sounds a good idea but why they need a $4,800,000 loan commitment guaranteed by the City of Toronto? How much is the cost directly and indirectly, and the cost after first 30 minutes?

In Montreal, a 1 year membership is $78 ($68 if you sign up early). First half hour is always free and then it increments like this:


2nd half hour - $1.50
3nd half hour - $3.00
4th half hour - $4.50
5th half hour - $6.00
etc

[MasZakrY]

They have trucks that re-distribute the bikes around the city knowing full well this will happen.


Swapping one evil for a lesser evil is not that eco-friendly. If they have BIXI trucks constantly driving around the city behind the scenes transferring bikes around how does that benefit the environment? This BIXI service is a make-yourself-feel-good for "helping" the environment business model with the expectation that is will hemorrhage money in the name of saving the environment.

If everyone either rode their own bike, walked or took TTC there would be LESS pollution then with these new bikes.


To be clear, not a single person will be using this BIXI bike service to get around instead of using their car. Why? Well because no business people will as they will ruin their suits, nobody uses their car to drive around inside the red area on the below map, people commute into/out of it and through it and if you live in the red area, having your own bike is 1000x more convenient and a bike can be bought for $50!

[GunnerX]

Swapping one evil for a lesser evil is not that eco-friendly. If they have BIXI trucks constantly driving around the city behind the scenes transferring bikes around how does that benefit the environment? This BIXI service is a make-yourself-feel-good for "helping" the environment business model with the expectation that is will hemorrhage money in the name of saving the environment.

If everyone either rode their own bike, walked or took TTC there would be LESS pollution then with these new bikes.


To be clear, not a single person will be using this BIXI bike service to get around instead of using their car. Why? Well because no business people will as they will ruin their suits, nobody uses their car to drive around inside the red area on the below map, people commute into/out of it and through it and if you live in the red area, having your own bike is 1000x more convenient and a bike can be bought for $50!

This has been very successful in Europe and just now been introduced to Canada. Whenever I'm in Montreal, I'm quite impressed at how well it's implemented there. A LOT of business people do go to work on bikes. Where do you get the idea that they won't? In Montreal, most people take these bikes to work and back. People will always be skeptical to something new until they see it in action and realize how useful it is. That's the problem with people in Toronto. Way too close minded and afraid of change.

[psyko514]

To be clear, not a single person will be using this BIXI bike service to get around instead of using their car. Why? Well because no business people will as they will ruin their suits, nobody uses their car to drive around inside the red area on the below map, people commute into/out of it and through it and if you live in the red area, having your own bike is 1000x more convenient and a bike can be bought for $50!

You'd think so, but you're wrong. The service is insanely popular in Montreal. I work in the heart of downtown and see thousands of Bixi users everyday including businessmen in suits. Many office workers opt to use the Bixi to travel from the subway or commuter station to their office a few blocks away.

It is also very popular with tourists who use it to visit Old Montreal and downtown with ease. With just a few Bixi trips, I've discovered several new and interesting places in my city (parks, restaurants, etc) that I'd never known about.

[MasZakrY]

I guess we will see what happens.

As an aside, BIXI was given "$4.8 million to Bixi so that they can borrow money and roll out 1000 bikes at 80 stations, spaced 300 metres apart across the core. It's anticipated to be popular enough that the bikes will need to be expanded quickly"

4.8 million for 1000 bikes and 80 stations. If each station costs say $10000(!), each bike then costs $4000. You can get a bike from Canadian Tire for $99. For 4.8 million they could have given 48,000 downtown Toronto residents a $100 Canadian Tire coupon good for one free bike. :razz:

source:
http://www.ibiketo.ca/blog/2010/05/11/bixi-one-major-step-closer-reality-now-we-only-need-1000-members-start

[UrbanPoet]

I guess we will see what happens.

As an aside, BIXI was given "$4.8 million to Bixi so that they can borrow money and roll out 1000 bikes at 80 stations, spaced 300 metres apart across the core. It's anticipated to be popular enough that the bikes will need to be expanded quickly"

4.8 million for 1000 bikes and 80 stations. If each station costs say $10000(!), each bike then costs $4000. You can get a bike from Canadian Tire for $99. For 4.8 million they could have given 48,000 downtown Toronto residents a $100 Canadian Tire coupon good for one free bike. :razz:

source:
http://www.ibiketo.ca/blog/2010/05/11/bixi-one-major-step-closer-reality-now-we-only-need-1000-members-start

You are looking at it the wrong way.
Obviously it'll be expensive to start up...
But this system is meant to be here for many life times. Just like how those old crappy steel/iron TTC cars probably used to cost $100's of thousands each... They are being maintained and used for decades despite their old technology.

It works in MOntreal... why not Toronto with a larger more dense population?

[GunnerX]

These bikes are not your standard supercycle Crappy Tire brand bikes. All wiring is internal and it has built in LED lights for front and back.

It's perfect for condo dwellers DT, they don't have to worry about storage and security. Don't have to go back to the same place you locked your bike at. If I lived DT, I would definitely make use of it.

[ckhw]

Yes... But without your support it won't get off the ground.



It seems like theres a big start up cost.
But there are many long term benefits.
-eco friendly
-decrease downtown traffic
-convenience for users

Its easy to say "everything sucks" and continue driving our SUV's... But its small things like this that'll help us move towards positive change. It can't just change over night...


I welcome the idea and want a more enjoyable city, at the same time, don't want the city end up paying someone's extravaganza of spending. Per a bike cost is unreasonable high. Just setting up proper bicycle parking spaces will do the same.

[psyko514]

I welcome the idea and want a more enjoyable city, at the same time, don't want the city end up paying someone's extravaganza of spending. Per a bike cost is unreasonable high. Just setting up proper bicycle parking spaces will do the same.

Didn't you say the funds were a loan? I'm not sure how something of this nature works but I assume (or hope) that they city doesn't pass off the cost of the loan to tax payers.

Also, it isn't like your tax was increased by $100/yr to cover the costs.

[Jimboski]

Seem's cool, Thanks!

[twotterdhc6]

The BIXI service is doomed to fail from the start. In London where this service is also available they lost something like 20 million dollars.

Where did you read about the 20 million dollar loss?

The London Barclay's Cycle Hire was launched literally a few days ago (July 30, 2010 according to Wiki). Did you mean startup cost?

[UrbanPoet]

These bikes are not your standard supercycle Crappy Tire brand bikes. All wiring is internal and it has built in LED lights for front and back.

It's perfect for condo dwellers DT, they don't have to worry about storage and security. Don't have to go back to the same place you locked your bike at. If I lived DT, I would definitely make use of it.

exactly.
They make use of a very reliable hub gear/brake system. Very weather proof as these types of mechanisms are enclosed. They require greasing from time to time.

[ckhw]

Didn't you say the funds were a loan? I'm not sure how something of this nature works but I assume (or hope) that they city doesn't pass off the cost of the loan to tax payers.

Also, it isn't like your tax was increased by $100/yr to cover the costs.

I did NOT and never say it was a loan. They worded that in the sign up agreement.

City of Montreal and city of Toronto have different culture. I believe a lot of Torontonians will question this as I do. It doesn't matter if $100/year or a penny/year.

[psyko514]

I did NOT and never say it was a loan. They worded that in the sign up agreement.

City of Montreal and city of Toronto have different culture. I believe a lot of Torontonians will question this as I do. It doesn't matter if $100/year or a penny/year.


Sounds a good idea but why they need a $4,800,000 loan commitment guaranteed by the City of Toronto? How much is the cost directly and indirectly, and the cost after first 30 minutes?

Maybe I'm misunderstanding something?

[ckhw]

Maybe I'm misunderstanding something?

Go to sign up page and see it yourself.

[Wallukrylic]

Looks pretty stupid. You would be better off buying a cheap bike instead (if you don't own one already).

Now, if the Bixi were e-bikes and had a longer rental time then I would see some potential in it.

[psyko514]

Looks pretty stupid. You would be better off buying a cheap bike instead (if you don't own one already).

Now, if the Bixi were e-bikes and had a longer rental time then I would see some potential in it.

Two reasons why I prefer Bixi over owning my own bicycle:

First, I don't have to worry about theft or finding a place to lock it or store it. Every bicycle I've ever owned has been stolen.

Second, it's there when you need it and you don't have to worry about it when you don't need it. For example, if I took my own bike to work and then decided to go out for drinks with friends after work (or maybe it started raining), I'd have to worry about leaving my bike behind. With Bixi, I can ride to work and easily take alternate transportation home.

The 30 mins provided is more than ample for the majority of short trips around the city. Cycling at an average speed of 20 kph, 30 mins gets you pretty far.

[pshch]

They have trucks that re-distribute the bikes around the city knowing full well this will happen.

The point was at rush hours the trucks won't be able to do this - the problem with rush hour is all people are going in the same direction and roads are clogged with cars.

[darkprince]

i see this a big flop... might as well buy your own bike, if you're afraid that i'll get stolen get a better lock and lock it up properly. I still see ppl just lock the frame but not the wheels. By the time they get back their front wheels are usually gone. lol

[Bookpreviews]

i see this a big flop... might as well buy your own bike, if you're afraid that i'll get stolen get a better lock and lock it up properly. I still see ppl just lock the frame but not the wheels. By the time they get back their front wheels are usually gone. lol

When I leave my bike somewhere I always lock both wheels and take the seat off, then take off the front light.
Have not had anything stolen yet.

The only time someone stole my bike was when someone found out where I lived and took my bike and 2 pairs of skis from my old place during the winter.

Came home to find only sports stuff missing,yet TV, VCR, video stuff, computers ect all there:confused:

Someone really wanted my bike, it had expensive gears and special tires that need no air :(
was an expensive bike.

My bike right now is around $600 and it has never been stolen from anywhere :)

if you are so worried about bikes stolen why not get one of those foldable bikes?
I have seen a few people take those on the bus this year.

[qam]

I think may have seen a few of these parked along University, north of Dundas last week (west side). I didn't really pay attention since I was in a rush and thought they were some kind of electric bike rental service. Perhaps it was some kind of demo or trial run.

[sprung]

Our BIXI squad (http://toronto.bixi.com/index.php/frontend/news/news_article/60) is rolling into Toronto this summer and will be touring all around town!

Come meet the members of our BIXI squad, get a free BIXI bike ride and ask them questions about the BIXI bike system! You can learn everything there is to know about this green, environmentally-friendly mode of transportation and see why people are talking about it all around the world, from Montreal to Melbourne and London to Washington D.C.!



21/24 August & Sept 4 10 10:00 am to 10:00 pm
CNE

[tarteaucitron]

exactly.
They make use of a very reliable hub gear/brake system. Very weather proof as these types of mechanisms are enclosed. They require greasing from time to time.

And if they are anything like the ones in the bike programs in France that I had a chance to try out last month, they are quite sturdy, heavy and supposedly designed to be theft-proof.

[tarteaucitron]

exactly.
They make use of a very reliable hub gear/brake system. Very weather proof as these types of mechanisms are enclosed. They require greasing from time to time.


Two reasons why I prefer Bixi over owning my own bicycle:

First, I don't have to worry about theft or finding a place to lock it or store it. Every bicycle I've ever owned has been stolen.

Second, it's there when you need it and you don't have to worry about it when you don't need it. For example, if I took my own bike to work and then decided to go out for drinks with friends after work (or maybe it started raining), I'd have to worry about leaving my bike behind. With Bixi, I can ride to work and easily take alternate transportation home.

The 30 mins provided is more than ample for the majority of short trips around the city. Cycling at an average speed of 20 kph, 30 mins gets you pretty far.

Exactly. In addition, I would not have to do bike maintenance myself; I would have access to a bike that is in tip-top condition, every single time.

BTW the 30 mins threshold is imposed, I believe, to encourage people to use the bike to get to their destination, then release it back to the system, instead of hog it for too long.

[tarteaucitron]

As far as being accessible by TTC...
Street cars and buses in Toronto SUCK. They take forever... Never depend on any street car b/c sometimes you'll wait 5 minutes... others you'll wait 20.
There are only so many areas serviced by the subway/

This. I would welcome anytime an alternative to the TTC that is potentially cheaper, faster, and not to mention, healthier.

[Ix2L]

If this becomes a hit, watch out. That only means more and more cyclists who think they own the roads. With the possibility of less lanes for cars as bike lanes will need to be integrated.

This is great for people downtown as many have said, it's cheap and while you are downtown, you don't want to wait for a bus/streetcar.

Taking a look at Montreal and how many bixi stations they have, I am amazed. This is definitely going to take off. Expect somewhere popular like dundas square or union station to have 100 bikes.

[HBP]

I would definitely use this if I lived downtown.

[fjanicki]

Wow people from Toronto are so pessimistic. I would not want to live there with that kind of mentality.

I actually work in downtown montreal in an office building and I use the Bixi system almost everyday during my lunch breaks, I can go meet people in 5 minutes anywhere downtown and come back to work in 5 minutes again. There are stations everywhere, I do not need to bring it with me in the morning and I can use it whenever I want and not worry about locking my bike. If I go to a bar, I can go using the bus and come back home with a bixi instead of using the night buses.

Yes, I do bike extensively with my OWN bike when I am at home, I do have a very expensive bike that I would NEVER lock downtown for a full day.

Bixi = Bicycle Taxi

It's meant to complement the public transit system already in place. And it works really well, and a LOT of people use it downtown, it's just great.

The 30 minutes imposed is to prevent people from using it just for the fun of biking. This system is meant to be a transportation system, and not a "biking with your girlfriend for fun" kind of thing. 30 minutes is enough to go from one station to another.

Stay in Toronto, use your car or whatever, I don't care, I just know that Bixi is extremely convenient

Oh and

Montreal > Toronto :cheesygri


Edit: and yeah, you can track your stats from their website when you are a subscriber.

here's mine, only from taking it about once a day during my lunch break.


Number of trips 53
Usage time 6 h
Distance traveled 74 km
Reduction in greenhouse gas emissions 19 kg
Gas saved 5 L


Here's what the "Bixi Clé" looks like, you just slide it inside the bike station and it unlocks the bike, it take litteraly a second.

http://i33.tinypic.com/1yrero.jpg

[the_fm]

if it's working in London, i don't see why it can't work in TO

[paul_rfd]

if it's working in London, i don't see why it can't work in TO
You can add Paris and Montreal.

$4.8 Millions for 80 stations and 1000 bike : quite expensive for this heavy bike.

public contract :D

[tarteaucitron]

You can add Paris and Montreal.

$4.8 Millions for 80 stations and 1000 bike : quite expensive for this heavy bike.

public contract :D

According to the National Post in June 2009:

"The Toronto Transit Commission today inked a deal to purchase 204 new low-floor, fully accessible adapted models from Bombardier for $1.2 billion."

This means that EACH of these streetcars will cost some $5.9 million. If the numbers are correct, for me it is hard to picture how ONE of these streetcars can be more expensive than all of the 80 stations, 1000 bikes in the Bixi system :|

Source: http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/toronto/archive/2009/06/30/ding-ding-toronto-orders-its-bombardier-streetcars.aspx

[tarteaucitron]

Wow people from Toronto are so pessimistic. I would not want to live there with that kind of mentality.



Yeah, luckily there are enough optimistic people around to at least get such a nice system started!



Edit: and yeah, you can track your stats from their website when you are a subscriber.

here's mine, only from taking it about once a day during my lunch break.

http://i33.tinypic.com/1yrero.jpg

The stats are pretty cool, and a good incentive to keep using the system!

[the_fm]

You can add Paris and Montreal.

$4.8 Millions for 80 stations and 1000 bike : quite expensive for this heavy bike.

public contract :D

i didn't add Montreal because frankly, we are different from TO.

[sprung]

Source (http://www.ibiketo.ca/blog/2010/10/06/bixi-1000-members-party-steam-whistle-brewery-oct-18)

All Members are invited to bring a non-member to push us over the 1000 mark. So come to the Steam Whistle Brewery to eat great local food, and drink award-winning Steam Whistle beer. The only cost is your membership. Steam Whistle Brewery has kindly donated their venue for this great event.

The event will be at the Steam Whistle Brewery (next to the CN Tower), Monday October 18th, and doors open at 6:30pm. The event is free with a BIXI membership.

Send an RSVP to bixitoronto@toronto.ca Subject: BIXI Party.

This is the push for me to get a membership, love Steamwhistle beer :)

[Toukolou]

Should be a huge hit, particularly around January/February.:rolleyes:

[Ix2L]

I have thought about it again. We have enough cyclists on the road already .. no more please! Especially with the arrival of bixi, inexperienced cyclist will share the road.