The Bike Sharing System | Everything You Need to Know
Bixi vs. Jump vs. Lime: Here is Everything You Need to Know
The Birth of Bixi
Montreal was at the forefront of the bicycle sharing system in 2009 with the introduction of Bixi, a hybrid name of bicycle and taxi (using one as a taxi—clever). Soon after it’s inception, it started experiencing financial difficulties. Thanks to the city it bought the assets in 2014 and then created Bixi Montreal.
I have a bike and an annual Bixi subscription as a backup. I use it often and find it very practical.
Here is everything you need to know about Bixi:
When: from April 15 – November 15.
Where: With 600 stations to choose from in Montreal. Type in your current location and the Bixi station map will populate a list of available stations.
How (3 ways to choose from):
- A valid credit card with at least $100 available on it in case you lose the bike.
- Down load the Bixi App
- Bixi Key (with membership)
Your choice of Passes:
- A one-way pass for $2.95 for 30 minutes.
- Choose a one day pass (24 hours) for $5.25 (unlimited 30 min. rides)
- 3 days for $15 (72 glorious hours for unlimited 30 min. rides)
- The 10 one way package for $25. (10 trips of 30 min. or less)
- 30-day membership for $34 (Bixi key for 45 min.rides) if you go over 45 minutes the rates are $1.80 (within 45 to 60 minutes). Over an hour, every 15 minutes it’s a gouging rate of $3. Ouch!
- 1-year membership of $95, with a key and the same overtime pricing as a 1-month subscription.
- Important things to remember: make sure the green light (green means good) is on when you return the bike at a station. If the light indicates red (red means bad) it means that it has not been engaged properly in the lock or it is defective, try another locking port.
The E-Bixi (electric Bixi) is now available for $1 extra per trip as a regular Bixi. Remember that for electric bikes it is absolutely mandatory to wear a helmet or you may be banned from using the service or face a fine from $60 to $100.
Bixi has seen the competition moving in with Uber Jump and the Lime Scooters and quickly remedied its potential demise by offering the same product but less expensive.
How the E-BIXI works: It has an electric motor and a rechargeable battery that is activated by pedaling. It is governed to 32 km/h.
Who can use BIXI: 14+ and 1.24 meter (4’1″) in height ( a maximum weight of 120 KG (265 lbs.) to use one. Its users who are minors must be subscribed by their legal guardians and remain under their responsibility. (according to their Site).
Interesting Facts: BIXI is available in Toronto, CA, Tuscon, AZ, and Chattanooga, TN and the Montreal location handles all the Customer Service calls for all locations.
Helmets are not mandatory in Montreal except for the E-BIXI.
The Uber JUMP
Here is everything you need to know about the Jump Bikesharing system:
In 2010, Social Bicycles Inc. was the brainchild behind Jump, a dockless scooter and bike-sharing system. They launched in the U.S. and then Germany, Portugal, and the United Kingdom. Eight years later Uber scooped down and acquired the company for 200 million USD.
Who: Social Bicycles Inc. and by Jan. 2018 it deployed 15,000 bikes in six countries under the name Jump for the bike-sharing system. Uber saw a growing success and launched a pilot program that February.
When: Jump was introduced to Montreal by June 2018. It was not until June 26, 2019, it deployed its 400 bright red bikes to the streets. It is the first Canadian city to launch Jump.
How: Uber Jump is electric so you can sit back and be LA-ZY. If you have a lot of hills and don’t want to break a sweat to work all the while zooming quickly, this is the way to go. A little exercise never hurt anyone, so go on then, be lazy. It goes up to 32 km/hr.
Step 1. Download the App. You must wear a helmet to ride or you could be fined if caught. Nevermind that, it’s just a smart precaution to protect your brain. You are not as thick-headed as you may think.
Step 2: Find a Jump Bike at your nearest location, select one and unlock it with a PIN that is provided in your app.
Step 3: At 30¢ a minute ($9 for half-hour), enjoy where you want to get at 32 km/hour if you choose.
Step 4: When you are basically finished being a couch potato, find a place to park. All joking aside—it’s very important that the bikes are parked properly, to any public rack. If you are outside of the parking zone as indicated on the Uber App, you will face a fine of $25.
Lime Scooters
What you need to know about them:
How: Through the Lime app (charged to credit or debit card). Lime is $1 to unlock and 30¢ per minute to scoot at 20 km/hour.
When: LimeBike was founded in 2017 and raised US$12 million in venture funding. The company’s first location launched 125 scooters at the University of North Carolina in Greensboro.
How many in Montreal: the permit allows up to 430 scooters. Currently, they are available in Ville-Marie, Côte-des-Neiges, NDG, Villeray, Saint-Michel, Parc-Extension, Westmount and Rosemont La-Petite-Patrie.
Where to Park: There are about 239 designated parking spaces, marked with stencil on the pavement. The Lachine canal is not an option even how much you are tempted. Please do not pollute our water.
You must be getting hungry after all that eco-bike sharing system, hurry to the Burger Festival.
