BIXI Montreal is a non-profit organization managing the bikeshare system in the Greater Montreal area. BIXI was the first Canadian bikeshare system and the first large-scale system in North America. BIXI uses this status to push for greater recognition as a key player in Montreal’s public transit system. BIXI’s name comes from a contraction of the words ‘bicycle’ and ‘taxi’ and resulted from a contest asking Montrealers to help name the system.

This season, BIXI is celebrating 50 million trips taken since launching in 2009. They stated that the celebration is to recognize all the people that contributed to that milestone, whether the person was a one-time user or a frequent user – which BIXI calls the BIXISTS. For BIXI, 50 million rides means 50 million meetups, family gatherings, trips to and from work, and more, leading them to believe that BIXI has woven itself into the city’s DNA over the years.

This milestone celebration also included collaborating with MURAL, a festival in Montreal recognizing the urban art movement, to create 50 art bikes. BIXI stated that to celebrate this special occasion properly, it needed to honor its home, Montreal. The project selected five different artists and allowed them to showcase their art on 50 BIXI bikes. BIXI encourages visitors and locals to join in celebrating local art and culture in Montreal by seeking out and riding one of these unique bikes.

BIXI experienced a strong start to 2022 that may result in a record-breaking season. Its first two full months of activity, May and June, had record monthly ridership at 1.3 and 1.4 million trips, respectively. BIXI stated that this is a 92% year-over-year increase for May and a 66% increase for June. Also, for the first time, BIXI surpassed 50,000 trips in one day thanks to its 64,000 members as of June – a 70% increase from June 2021. BIXI believes it could reach 60,000 trips in a single day sometime this season!

When asked what they value about being a NABSA member, BIXI Montreal stated that it’s happy to be part of a community that wants to create and advance sustainable transportation ecosystems across North America.

Learn more about NABSA membership here.