Bixis begin lining Montreal streets as 2022 season kicks off with more e-bikes

Spring has sprung, and Bixi Montreal is rolling out its bikes just in time for the Easter long weekend.

The 2022 season officially launchedat 10 a.m. Wednesday two days earlier than planned with the addition of490 electric bikes, 31 new stations and 765 additional docking pointsto help meet the growing needs in Montreal.

Bixi says electric bikescontributed significantly to an increase in new users in 2021, up 326 per centcompared to the previous year and 195 per centcompared to the record-smashing year of 2019. For the first time last year, Bixi recorded more than 1million electric bike trips.

The company is therefore adding some 30 new electricstations this year, notably near the Universit de Montral and HEC Montral, at the Olympic Village and the Atwater market. Bixisays it's also planning to enhanceits service in Montreal's parks.

New this year is also a hike in pricing. For non-membership riders, the fee to unlock a bicycle is up from 50 cents to $1.The price per minute in 2021 was 10cents for a regular bike and 25 cents for an electric one, but now those prices are 15cents and 30cents, respectively.

The price per minute has also increased for riders with a membership.

Pierre-Luc Marier, director of marketing and sales at Bixi Montreal, says the company strives to keep prices low each year, but sometimes, it's just not possible.

"We are in a labour shortage context and supply cost has increased dramatically," saidMarier.

He suggests potential riders take advantage of thepre-season membership rate "The best price you can get for the season."

Currently, the pricefor a season pass is $83 before taxesa 10 per cent discount on the regular pass, whichis available until next Friday.

Inequitable distribution of stations

Residents in the western part of Montreal'sNotre-Dame-de-Grceneighbourhood are speaking out about the lack of Bixi stations along Fielding Street, an issue they say they've been highlighting for years.

In a post on an NDGgroup Facebook page, residents are calling for moreequitable distribution of Bixi stations.

Mariersays the company has a team that plans the network, and it looks at people's demands and where people go with the bikes.

"It's afairly complex formula, we have a page on our website where people can ask[for] a station," he said.

"Iknow that some areas have less stations than others, so every year we make changes."

Bixi reports that since Montreal became the first city in North America to launch a large-scale bike-sharing service in 2009, 50 million trips have been made in the metropolitan area.