1001 Smart Cities
🇨🇦 Montreal

BIXI Montréal: city-owned bikes, non-profit operator, operator-held data

🤖 AI-generated summary · ◆ 12 sourced claims · 🔎 Last verified

This overview was generated with AI from the public sources listed below and checked against them before publication. It has not had a complete human fact-check — treat it as a starting point and follow the sources.

12 sourced claims on this page, none individually verified yet — turn on “Sources in the text” to see each one.

How this atlas is made · What “last verified” means · What “source-checked” means · The full record behind this page

✎ Updated 22 Aug 2026 Publication date recorded for 15 sources. What changed →

The city buys the stations and pays to electrify them, yet the copyright in the published trip history is claimed by the non-profit operator. The fare lever stayed with the operator too.

Outcome🔄 Ongoing
Evidence🏛️ Official
what does this mean?The strongest source is the operator's or the city's own reporting — an official report, dataset or press release. It grades who did the looking — not how well the project went. All four grades →
Run byBIXI Montréal (non-profit); assets owned by the Ville de Montréal
Scale🗺️ Regional
CostCAD 108M 2011 bailout (CAD 37M loan plus CAD 71M in guarantees); CAD 11.9M paid for the local assets in 2014; CAD 5.5M/yr city development envelope 2026-2028
FundingVille de Montréal owns the assets and funds expansion, user fees cover operations; CAD 5.16M federal Canada Public Transit Fund contribution for station electrification 2025-2027

Part of 1001 Smart Cities — 1,167 documented projects · 🏙️ 7 more in Montreal · 🚲 Cycling guide · 🚲 Mobility projects

BIXI launched in May 2009 with 3,000 bikes and 300 modular stations that needed no excavation and came out again for the winter, and the Montreal-built equipment was then sold to London, Toronto, New York, Boston and Washington. Its maker went bankrupt in January 2014 owing about CAD 50M; the city bought the local assets for CAD 11.9M and created BIXI Montréal, a non-profit, to run them. The city still buys the hardware — a CAD 5.16M federal contribution for electrifying stations in 2025 went to the Ville de Montréal, not to BIXI — but the copyright in the published trip history is claimed by the operator, not the city. The network carried 14.5 million trips in 2025 across 13 municipalities and now runs through the winter.

Live 📅 since 2009

📊 Impact

14.5 million trips in 2025, roughly 9 per cent above 2024, and the 100 millionth trip since 2009 (BIXI figures). The 2025 network was 12,600 bikes, 3,200 of them electric, at close to 1,000 stations in 13 municipalities; winter service, permanent since 2024-25 after a pilot in which 93,000 people made nearly a million trips, keeps 234 stations and 2,300 studded-tyre bikes running from 16 November to 14 April.

🎓 Lesson

Buying the hardware did not buy the data: Montreal owns and electrifies the stations, yet the trip history on the city's own open data portal states that the intellectual property and copyright are held by BIXI Montréal. Nor did it fix the fare lever to the city — BIXI announces its own January increases, and the seasonal pass has gone from CAD 99 in 2023 to CAD 115 in 2026 while members get no free minutes at all on e-bikes: a 45-minute electric trip costs CAD 8.55, computed from Montreal's own posted rate of 19 cents a minute. The posted price list carries no income-eligible fare, only a 10 per cent group rate.

🚲 MobilityCyclingShared mobilityOpen data

Sources

↗ BIXI Montréal — Who we are (operator)Operator's own statement of legal form: 'BIXI Montréal is a non-profit organization created in 2014 by the city of Montréal to manage its bike-sharing system.' Same page: 'more than 13,000 bikes (including 3,500 electric BIXIs) and more than 1 000 stations'.
↗ Ville de Montréal open data — BIXI Historique des déplacementsThe ownership finding, read directly on the page: 'Les droits de propriété intellectuelle et le droit d'auteur de cet ensemble de données sont détenus par BIXI Montréal' — the IP and copyright in the trip dataset are held by BIXI Montréal, the operator, not the city. Licence 'Creative Commons avec attribution', which permits commercial reuse with credit to BIXI Montréal. Coverage from 15 April 2014, updated monthly.
↗ Ville de Montréal open data — BIXI État des stationsReal-time GBFS station feed on the city portal, publishing organisation listed as BIXI Montréal, carrying the identical IP notice: 'la paternité des données doit être attribuée à BIXI Montréal'.
↗ Open Government Canada — grant record, station electrificationRecipient is 'Ville de Montréal', not BIXI: CAD 5,164,674 from the Fonds pour le transport en commun du Canada, 13 November 2025 to 31 March 2027, to electrify bike-share stations and acquire new equipment. Evidence that the capital assets sit with the city.
↗ BIXI Montréal — Pricing (operator, read 2026-07-26)Posted rates: one-way CAD 1.60 unlocking fee plus 21 cents/min regular or 36 cents/min electric; monthly CAD 24 per 30 days; seasonal CAD 115 for 15 April to 15 November with 0-45 min included on regular bikes then 19 cents/min, and electric bikes at 19 cents/min for members with no included minutes. Only discount listed is 10 per cent for groups of 20 or more; no income-eligible fare is posted.
Show 10 more sourcesShow fewer
↗ BIXI Montréal — Year-round service (operator)'Following the results of 2023's pilot project' the winter service became permanent from 2024-25: 234 stations and 2,300 regular BIXIs with studded tires and non-slip pedals, 16 November 2025 to 14 April 2026, 24/7, across 10 Montreal boroughs plus Westmount and Montréal-Est. In the 2023-24 pilot '93,000 people used BIXI to make nearly one million trips'.
↗ CNW/Newswire — BIXI hits 100 million trips since its launch (2025)Published 10 November 2025Operator release: 100 million trips since 2009, the 50 millionth having come only in 2022; July 2025 an all-time record at 2,340,000 trips; 98,618 trips on 11 June 2025; 12,600 bikes including 3,200 electric at close to 1,000 stations in 13 Quebec cities; Sherbrooke, Saint-Lambert, Saint-Eustache and Deux-Montagnes joined in 2025.
↗ Lyft Urban Solutions — Montreal bike share (supplier)Supplier page: 'Initially launched in 2009, BIXI's fleet comprised 3,000 ICONIC bikes and 300 stations'; e-bikes introduced in 2019 after a pilot; 11.7 million trips in 2023; 'The infrastructure is managed and maintained by BIXI.' The page markets 'Solar Stations' as a product line but does not state that Montreal's current stations are solar-powered, so that claim is not made here.
↗ CBC — Bixi goes bust in Montreal, files for bankruptcy protection (Jan 2014)Published 20 January 2014Public Bike System Company (Société de vélos en libre-service) filed for bankruptcy protection owing about CAD 50M, including money to the City of Montreal; in 2011 council had approved a CAD 108M package, a CAD 37M loan to cover the deficit plus CAD 71M in loan guarantees for the export business. Site returned 403 to automated fetch; outlet, article and figures confirmed by search.
↗ CBC — Bixi saved for the summer (2014)Published 19 February 2014In February 2014 Montreal bought the local assets for CAD 11.9M and set up Bixi Montreal, 'a new not-for-profit organization set up to manage the local operation', with a CAD 460,000 short-term loan and a CAD 165,000 grant to get the 2014 season running. Site returned 403 to automated fetch; confirmed by search.
↗ CBC — Quebec businessman buys Bixi's international operations for CAD 4MPublished 11 April 2014The export arm was severed from the Montreal system in April 2014 and sold to Bruno Rodi for CAD 4M; it was later acquired by Lyft in 2022 and trades as Lyft Urban Solutions. Site returned 403 to automated fetch; confirmed by search.
↗ Global News — Bixi program to lose millions, auditor general says (June 2011)Published 21 June 2011Auditor general Jacques Bergeron, report tabled 20 June 2011: the city and the company had 'no business plan, no serious feasibility studies, no clear financing structure' and no legal authority to launch in May 2009 — 'it's not unreasonable to conclude that the city therefore exceeded its powers'. Accumulated deficit CAD 6.3M, CAD 3M lost overpaying for non-functional pay stations, CAD 1.3M in excess interest on city loans.
↗ Le Devoir — Martinez Ferrada administration halves BIXI financing (2026)Published 12 January 2026Operating funding maintained but the development investment forecast cut by half: CAD 5.5M a year from 2026 to 2028 against the CAD 10.5M to 14M booked by the previous administration. The network is still due to reach 19 municipalities, more than 1,100 stations and about 13,000 bikes with 25 per cent electric by the end of 2026. Site returned 403 to automated fetch; figures confirmed by search across this article and Le Devoir 952422 on the cyclists' protest.
↗ La Presse — BIXI raises fares after another record year (27 Feb 2024)The annual escalation the operator announces itself: seasonal pass from CAD 99 to CAD 107 for 2024, e-bike member rate from 13 to 17 cents a minute; Le Devoir (826443) reports the next step to CAD 112 and 18 cents from 20 January 2025. Today's posted figures are CAD 115 and 19 cents.
↗ PBSC Urban Solutions / Lyft Urban Solutions — corporate historyThe only consolidated list of export customers reached: systems supplied to London, Toronto, New York, Boston, Washington, Melbourne and Minneapolis; stations described as modular, needing 'no excavation beforehand' and installable in about half an hour. Low-authority source used only for the export list; the Toronto leg is independently confirmed by the atlas's own Toronto entry, where PBSC's 2014 bankruptcy left the city owed most of a CAD 4.5M loan.

📅 How old is the evidence?

Two clocks, kept apart: when this entry’s sources were published, and what has happened to its record in the atlas. Documented span: since 2009. 7 of 15 sources carry a publication date, from 21 June 2011 to 12 January 2026.

When the sources were published

  1. Global News · pressGlobal News — Bixi program to lose millions, auditor general says (June 2011)
  2. CBC/Radio-Canada · pressCBC — Bixi goes bust in Montreal, files for bankruptcy protection (Jan 2014)
  3. CBC/Radio-Canada · pressCBC — Bixi saved for the summer (2014)
  4. CBC/Radio-Canada · pressCBC — Quebec businessman buys Bixi's international operations for CAD 4M
  5. La Presse · pressLa Presse — BIXI raises fares after another record year (27 Feb 2024)
  6. BIXI Montréal · operatorCNW/Newswire — BIXI hits 100 million trips since its launch (2025)
  7. Le Devoir · pressLe Devoir — Martinez Ferrada administration halves BIXI financing (2026)

Every source, with links ↑

What happened to this record

  1. Sources last read
  2. Entered the record
  3. Publication date recorded for 15 sources

Every revision, permanent →

Show your work What this page rests on and what it can’t tell you · all 12 claims with their sources · the forensic record

Evidence Passport · public beta 12 addressable claims, 15 source dossiers, one permanent baseline. The passport is unreviewed — an AI-assisted structural migration, not a human or expert endorsement. Every revision keeps a permanent copy under revision history.

Inspect the claims, one by one — verbatim text, sources and caveats for all 12

The text below is copied verbatim from the published record. Each claim names the source dossiers that carry it; caveats stay attached to the claim they qualify.

Claim 1 clm-14adb81f952fcee7 quantitative
BIXI launched in May 2009 with 3,000 bikes and 300 modular stations that needed no excavation and came out again for the winter
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
The supplier states 'Initially launched in 2009, BIXI's fleet comprised 3,000 ICONIC bikes and 300 stations', and the corporate history describes the stations as modular, needing 'no excavation beforehand' and installable in about half an hour.
Caveat
Both are supplier sources. The corporate history is low-authority and is used only for the physical description and the export list.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Lyft Urban Solutions — Montreal bike share (supplier)
  2. PBSC Urban Solutions / Lyft Urban Solutions — corporate history
Claim 2 clm-4e140630669ce21c descriptive
the Montreal-built equipment was then sold to London, Toronto, New York, Boston and Washington
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
The only consolidated list of export customers reached names systems supplied to London, Toronto, New York, Boston, Washington, Melbourne and Minneapolis.
Caveat
Low-authority source, used only for the export list. The Toronto leg is independently corroborated by the atlas's own Toronto entry, where the supplier's 2014 bankruptcy left the city owed most of a CAD 4.5M loan.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. PBSC Urban Solutions / Lyft Urban Solutions — corporate history
Claim 3 clm-d9275db63500449b quantitative
Its maker went bankrupt in January 2014 owing about CAD 50M; the city bought the local assets for CAD 11.9M and created BIXI Montréal, a non-profit, to run them
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
The Public Bike System Company filed for bankruptcy protection owing about CAD 50M, including money to the City of Montreal. In February 2014 the city bought the local assets for CAD 11.9M and set up 'a new not-for-profit organization set up to manage the local operation'. The operator's own page confirms the legal form: 'BIXI Montréal is a non-profit organization created in 2014 by the city of Montréal to manage its bike-sharing system.'
Caveat
Both CBC pages returned an error to automated fetching; outlet, article and figures were confirmed through search.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. CBC — Bixi goes bust in Montreal, files for bankruptcy protection (Jan 2014)
  2. CBC — Bixi saved for the summer (2014)
  3. BIXI Montréal — Who we are (operator)
Claim 4 clm-b52f1d17faead8fd quantitative
a CAD 5.16M federal contribution for electrifying stations in 2025 went to the Ville de Montréal, not to BIXI
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
The grant record names the recipient as 'Ville de Montréal', not BIXI: CAD 5,164,674 from the Fonds pour le transport en commun du Canada, 13 November 2025 to 31 March 2027, to electrify bike-share stations and acquire new equipment.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Open Government Canada — grant record, station electrification
Claim 5 clm-5be34356b98def8d descriptive
the copyright in the published trip history is claimed by the operator, not the city
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
Read directly on the city's own portal page: 'Les droits de propriété intellectuelle et le droit d'auteur de cet ensemble de données sont détenus par BIXI Montréal' — the IP and copyright in the trip dataset are held by the operator. The real-time station feed on the same portal carries the identical notice.
Caveat
The licence is 'Creative Commons avec attribution', which permits commercial reuse with credit to BIXI Montréal. The finding is about who holds the right, not about whether reuse is allowed.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Ville de Montréal open data — BIXI Historique des déplacements
  2. Ville de Montréal open data — BIXI État des stations
Claim 6 clm-c1901dbdfa0e1095 quantitative
The network carried 14.5 million trips in 2025 across 13 municipalities and now runs through the winter
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
The operator release records the 2025 network at 12,600 bikes including 3,200 electric, at close to 1,000 stations in 13 Quebec cities, with Sherbrooke, Saint-Lambert, Saint-Eustache and Deux-Montagnes joining in 2025. Winter service became permanent from 2024-25 'following the results of 2023's pilot project'.
Caveat
Operator figures, not independently audited.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. CNW/Newswire — BIXI hits 100 million trips since its launch (2025)
  2. BIXI Montréal — Year-round service (operator)
Claim 7 clm-0b676f8c5f7dfc43 quantitative
14.5 million trips in 2025, roughly 9 per cent above 2024, and the 100 millionth trip since 2009 (BIXI figures)
Published field
impact · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
The operator release records 100 million trips since 2009 — the 50 millionth having come only in 2022 — an all-time monthly record of 2,340,000 trips in July 2025 and 98,618 trips on 11 June 2025.
Caveat
Operator self-report, labelled as such in the entry. No independent audit of ridership was found.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. CNW/Newswire — BIXI hits 100 million trips since its launch (2025)
Claim 8 clm-c2a34bd74dc05dde quantitative
The 2025 network was 12,600 bikes, 3,200 of them electric, at close to 1,000 stations in 13 municipalities
Published field
impact · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
The release gives 12,600 bikes including 3,200 electric at close to 1,000 stations in 13 Quebec cities. The operator's own page states 'more than 13,000 bikes (including 3,500 electric BIXIs) and more than 1 000 stations', a later and larger figure.
Caveat
The two operator sources disagree slightly because they were published at different points in the season; the entry uses the dated release rather than the undated page.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. CNW/Newswire — BIXI hits 100 million trips since its launch (2025)
  2. BIXI Montréal — Who we are (operator)
Claim 9 clm-73643b23461bae73 quantitative
winter service, permanent since 2024-25 after a pilot in which 93,000 people made nearly a million trips, keeps 234 stations and 2,300 studded-tyre bikes running from 16 November to 14 April
Published field
impact · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
The operator states that in the 2023-24 pilot '93,000 people used BIXI to make nearly one million trips', and that the permanent service runs 234 stations and 2,300 regular BIXIs with studded tires and non-slip pedals, 16 November 2025 to 14 April 2026, around the clock, across ten Montreal boroughs plus Westmount and Montréal-Est.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. BIXI Montréal — Year-round service (operator)
Claim 10 clm-6191a8d787ca4402 descriptive
Montreal owns and electrifies the stations, yet the trip history on the city's own open data portal states that the intellectual property and copyright are held by BIXI Montréal
Published field
lesson · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
The federal electrification grant names the Ville de Montréal as recipient, so the capital assets sit with the city; the same city's portal states that the IP and copyright in the trip dataset are held by BIXI Montréal.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Open Government Canada — grant record, station electrification
  2. Ville de Montréal open data — BIXI Historique des déplacements
Claim 11 clm-72be307a728f7156 quantitative
BIXI announces its own January increases, and the seasonal pass has gone from CAD 99 in 2023 to CAD 115 in 2026 while members get no free minutes at all on e-bikes: a 45-minute electric trip costs CAD 8.55, computed from Montreal's own posted rate of 19 cents a minute
Published field
lesson · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
La Presse records the annual escalation the operator announces itself — seasonal pass from CAD 99 to CAD 107 for 2024 and the e-bike member rate from 13 to 17 cents a minute, with a further step to CAD 112 and 18 cents from 20 January 2025. The posted price list read on 26 July 2026 gives CAD 115 for the seasonal pass, 0-45 minutes included on regular bikes and electric bikes at 19 cents a minute for members with no included minutes.
Caveat
The CAD 8.55 figure is arithmetic on the operator's own posted rate, not a price the operator prints; the entry says so.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. La Presse — BIXI raises fares after another record year (27 Feb 2024)
  2. BIXI Montréal — Pricing (operator, read 2026-07-26)
Claim 12 clm-4f4025869f1d2f7e quantitative
The posted price list carries no income-eligible fare, only a 10 per cent group rate
Published field
lesson · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
The only discount listed on the posted rates is 10 per cent for groups of twenty or more; no income-eligible fare appears.
Caveat
A negative reading of a price page on one date. It would change the moment the operator adds such a fare.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. BIXI Montréal — Pricing (operator, read 2026-07-26)
Forensic record — source dossiers, gaps, hashes and the exact revision this page renders

This layer records what is known about each source, what is still missing, and the exact snapshot this page is rendering. A missing date, archive or hash stays visible as missing.

unreviewed Revision 2026-08-21-source-dates effective 2026-07-26 · created 2026-08-22

Awaiting operator and domain-expert review; publication of this revision implies neither.

sha256:0808ffd6ac2856e95c36ae39b1d8cc11bc1ca1113504200b745d09876ecbae39
Revision history → Permanent version link → Machine-readable record → Evidence Constitution →
12
of 12 claims mapped
15
source dossiers
7
publication dates recorded
0
archives linked
0
exact locators
0
content captures hashed

Governance facts carried by the record

Operator
BIXI Montréal (non-profit); assets owned by the Ville de Montréal
Actor types
civil-society
Funding model
public
Funding description
Ville de Montréal owns the assets and funds expansion, user fees cover operations; CAD 5.16M federal Canada Public Transit Fund contribution for station electrification 2025-2027
Cost
CAD 108M 2011 bailout (CAD 37M loan plus CAD 71M in guarantees); CAD 11.9M paid for the local assets in 2014; CAD 5.5M/yr city development envelope 2026-2028
Ownership
Not recorded
Decision rights
Not recorded
Exit conditions
Not recorded

15 source dossiers

BIXI Montréal — Who we are (operator) bixi.com · 2 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-8560b8232058ba51
Publisher
Name not classified · bixi.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
Not recorded
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-07-26
Dossier created
2026-08-22
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Operator's own statement of legal form: 'BIXI Montréal is a non-profit organization created in 2014 by the city of Montréal to manage its bike-sharing system.' Same page: 'more than 13,000 bikes (including 3,500 electric BIXIs) and more than 1 000 stations'.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Ville de Montréal open data — BIXI Historique des déplacements donnees.montreal.ca · 2 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-249c8de51366b8a2
Publisher
Name not classified · donnees.montreal.ca
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
Not recorded
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-07-26
Dossier created
2026-08-22
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

The ownership finding, read directly on the page: 'Les droits de propriété intellectuelle et le droit d'auteur de cet ensemble de données sont détenus par BIXI Montréal' — the IP and copyright in the trip dataset are held by BIXI Montréal, the operator, not the city. Licence 'Creative Commons avec attribution', which permits commercial reuse with credit to BIXI Montréal. Coverage from 15 April 2014, updated monthly.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Ville de Montréal open data — BIXI État des stations donnees.montreal.ca · 1 linked claim

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-ffcc67c2532296d4
Publisher
Name not classified · donnees.montreal.ca
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
Not recorded
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-07-26
Dossier created
2026-08-22
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Real-time GBFS station feed on the city portal, publishing organisation listed as BIXI Montréal, carrying the identical IP notice: 'la paternité des données doit être attribuée à BIXI Montréal'.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Open Government Canada — grant record, station electrification rechercher.ouvert.canada.ca · 2 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-22acc790b7257916
Publisher
Name not classified · rechercher.ouvert.canada.ca
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
Not recorded
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-07-26
Dossier created
2026-08-22
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Recipient is 'Ville de Montréal', not BIXI: CAD 5,164,674 from the Fonds pour le transport en commun du Canada, 13 November 2025 to 31 March 2027, to electrify bike-share stations and acquire new equipment. Evidence that the capital assets sit with the city.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
BIXI Montréal — Pricing (operator, read 2026-07-26) bixi.com · 2 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-b21ca82f859bcc74
Publisher
Name not classified · bixi.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
Not recorded
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-07-26
Dossier created
2026-08-22
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Posted rates: one-way CAD 1.60 unlocking fee plus 21 cents/min regular or 36 cents/min electric; monthly CAD 24 per 30 days; seasonal CAD 115 for 15 April to 15 November with 0-45 min included on regular bikes then 19 cents/min, and electric bikes at 19 cents/min for members with no included minutes. Only discount listed is 10 per cent for groups of 20 or more; no income-eligible fare is posted.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
BIXI Montréal — Year-round service (operator) bixi.com · 2 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-640f2f75fbc9a286
Publisher
Name not classified · bixi.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
Not recorded
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-07-26
Dossier created
2026-08-22
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

'Following the results of 2023's pilot project' the winter service became permanent from 2024-25: 234 stations and 2,300 regular BIXIs with studded tires and non-slip pedals, 16 November 2025 to 14 April 2026, 24/7, across 10 Montreal boroughs plus Westmount and Montréal-Est. In the 2023-24 pilot '93,000 people used BIXI to make nearly one million trips'.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
CNW/Newswire — BIXI hits 100 million trips since its launch (2025) newswire.ca · 3 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-174f37e2404a5a0e
Publisher
Name not classified · newswire.ca
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2025-11-10
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-07-26
Dossier created
2026-08-22
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Operator release: 100 million trips since 2009, the 50 millionth having come only in 2022; July 2025 an all-time record at 2,340,000 trips; 98,618 trips on 11 June 2025; 12,600 bikes including 3,200 electric at close to 1,000 stations in 13 Quebec cities; Sherbrooke, Saint-Lambert, Saint-Eustache and Deux-Montagnes joined in 2025.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Lyft Urban Solutions — Montreal bike share (supplier) lyfturbansolutions.com · 1 linked claim

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-75ca255a5fa46f93
Publisher
Name not classified · lyfturbansolutions.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
Not recorded
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-07-26
Dossier created
2026-08-22
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Supplier page: 'Initially launched in 2009, BIXI's fleet comprised 3,000 ICONIC bikes and 300 stations'; e-bikes introduced in 2019 after a pilot; 11.7 million trips in 2023; 'The infrastructure is managed and maintained by BIXI.' The page markets 'Solar Stations' as a product line but does not state that Montreal's current stations are solar-powered, so that claim is not made here.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
CBC — Bixi goes bust in Montreal, files for bankruptcy protection (Jan 2014) cbc.ca · 1 linked claim

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-3db4483e9c747e20
Publisher
Name not classified · cbc.ca
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2014-01-20
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-07-26
Dossier created
2026-08-22
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
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No archived copy linked
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No captured content hash
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Open the recorded source note

Public Bike System Company (Société de vélos en libre-service) filed for bankruptcy protection owing about CAD 50M, including money to the City of Montreal; in 2011 council had approved a CAD 108M package, a CAD 37M loan to cover the deficit plus CAD 71M in loan guarantees for the export business. Site returned 403 to automated fetch; outlet, article and figures confirmed by search.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
CBC — Bixi saved for the summer (2014) cbc.ca · 1 linked claim

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-b347a94084483a17
Publisher
Name not classified · cbc.ca
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2014-02-19
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-07-26
Dossier created
2026-08-22
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Open the recorded source note

In February 2014 Montreal bought the local assets for CAD 11.9M and set up Bixi Montreal, 'a new not-for-profit organization set up to manage the local operation', with a CAD 460,000 short-term loan and a CAD 165,000 grant to get the 2014 season running. Site returned 403 to automated fetch; confirmed by search.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
CBC — Quebec businessman buys Bixi's international operations for CAD 4M cbc.ca · background

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-09ea3cd25fab8434
Publisher
Name not classified · cbc.ca
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2014-04-11
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-07-26
Dossier created
2026-08-22
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
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No archived copy linked
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Open the recorded source note

The export arm was severed from the Montreal system in April 2014 and sold to Bruno Rodi for CAD 4M; it was later acquired by Lyft in 2022 and trades as Lyft Urban Solutions. Site returned 403 to automated fetch; confirmed by search.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Background source; no baseline claim points here
Global News — Bixi program to lose millions, auditor general says (June 2011) globalnews.ca · background

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-82701031839f2cf7
Publisher
Name not classified · globalnews.ca
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2011-06-21
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-07-26
Dossier created
2026-08-22
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
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No archived copy linked
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Open the recorded source note

Auditor general Jacques Bergeron, report tabled 20 June 2011: the city and the company had 'no business plan, no serious feasibility studies, no clear financing structure' and no legal authority to launch in May 2009 — 'it's not unreasonable to conclude that the city therefore exceeded its powers'. Accumulated deficit CAD 6.3M, CAD 3M lost overpaying for non-functional pay stations, CAD 1.3M in excess interest on city loans.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Background source; no baseline claim points here
Le Devoir — Martinez Ferrada administration halves BIXI financing (2026) ledevoir.com · background

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-373ae5c9917c13bc
Publisher
Name not classified · ledevoir.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2026-01-12
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-07-26
Dossier created
2026-08-22
Retrieved copy
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No archived copy linked
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Open the recorded source note

Operating funding maintained but the development investment forecast cut by half: CAD 5.5M a year from 2026 to 2028 against the CAD 10.5M to 14M booked by the previous administration. The network is still due to reach 19 municipalities, more than 1,100 stations and about 13,000 bikes with 25 per cent electric by the end of 2026. Site returned 403 to automated fetch; figures confirmed by search across this article and Le Devoir 952422 on the cyclists' protest.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Background source; no baseline claim points here
La Presse — BIXI raises fares after another record year (27 Feb 2024) lapresse.ca · 1 linked claim

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-0d54238e5d69c4d8
Publisher
Name not classified · lapresse.ca
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2024-02-27
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-07-26
Dossier created
2026-08-22
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
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No archived copy linked
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No captured content hash
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Open the recorded source note

The annual escalation the operator announces itself: seasonal pass from CAD 99 to CAD 107 for 2024, e-bike member rate from 13 to 17 cents a minute; Le Devoir (826443) reports the next step to CAD 112 and 18 cents from 20 January 2025. Today's posted figures are CAD 115 and 19 cents.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
PBSC Urban Solutions / Lyft Urban Solutions — corporate history en.wikipedia.org · 2 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-8d8dd32480974213
Publisher
Name not classified · en.wikipedia.org
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
Not recorded
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-07-26
Dossier created
2026-08-22
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

The only consolidated list of export customers reached: systems supplied to London, Toronto, New York, Boston, Washington, Melbourne and Minneapolis; stations described as modular, needing 'no excavation beforehand' and installable in about half an hour. Low-authority source used only for the export list; the Toronto leg is independently confirmed by the atlas's own Toronto entry, where PBSC's 2014 bankruptcy left the city owed most of a CAD 4.5M loan.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Known limits of this passport
  • Publisher names and source languages have not yet been classified; domains are recorded without guessing.
  • Existing source notes are descriptive locators, not page- or paragraph-exact citations.
  • A missing archive, publication date or content hash is shown as null rather than inferred.
  • The project-level evidence grade ranks the strongest source in the entry; it is not a truth score for every claim.

Continue exploring

Compare this project

🇨🇦 Bike Share Toronto: city-owned bikes, contracted operator · Toronto Mirror images: Toronto owns the bikes and publishes trip data itself; Montreal owns the bikes but the operator holds the data's copyright. 🇺🇸 Divvy: City-Owned Bike Share & Open Trip Data · Chicago Chicago's contract caps Lyft's fare rises at 10% a year; BIXI's non-profit operator announces its own — the season pass went CAD 99 to 115. 🇺🇸 Capital Bikeshare: a bike share owned by eight local governments · Washington D.C. Washington runs on docks Montreal's PBSC built; when the maker went bankrupt in 2014 Montreal bought its own system back for CAD 11.9M.

Who owns the bikes?

Four North American bike shares, all operated by the same company, all owned differently. Ownership decides who sets the fares, who may expand, and who is allowed to publish the trip data — none of which a rider can see from the dock.

ProjectSinceStatusOutcomeEvidenceRun byCostWho owns what
Divvy: City-Owned Bike Share & Open Trip DataChicago, 🇺🇸 2013 Live Ongoing Official Private company $18M federal CMAQ grant at launch; $50M Lyft capital investment from 2019 One city department owns bikes and docks, bought with federal money; the operator only operates.
Bluebikes: Bike Share Owned by Thirteen MunicipalitiesBoston, 🇺🇸 2011 Live Ongoing Official Private company $4.5M in grants at launch, including $3M in Federal Transit Administration money for the region Thirteen town halls own the system together, so the region needed a planning agency to write the agreement and run the procurement.
Capital Bikeshare: a bike share owned by eight local governmentsWashington D.C., 🇺🇸 2010 Live Ongoing Official Private company, City government not public Eight governments across two state lines each buy their own docks — and the data licence names them, not the operator, as the owner.
BIXI Montréal: city-owned bikes, non-profit operator, operator-held dataMontreal, 🇨🇦 2009 Live Ongoing Official Civil society CAD 108M 2011 bailout (CAD 37M loan plus CAD 71M in guarantees); CAD 11.9M paid for the local assets in 2014; CAD 5.5M/yr city development envelope 2026-2028 The city owns the bikes and docks, but the copyright in the trip data sits with the operator — the exact inverse of Toronto.

Explore the wider context

🔑 Your Smart City Is Owned by Someone Else📖 Geofencing📖 15-minute city📖 Building performance standard (BPS)
📎 Cite this project

1001 Smart Cities (2026). “BIXI Montréal: city-owned bikes, non-profit operator, operator-held data” — Montreal, Canada. The Smart City Atlas. https://1001smartcities.org/projects/montreal-bixi/ (last verified 2026-07-26). Data: CC BY 4.0.

The underlying data is free to reuse with attribution — see the open data page.

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