Each BIXI bike is used more than seven times a day in the metropolis, on average, according to new data. This is a peak for bike sharing across North America.
This is what we learn in a recent report from the National Association of City Transportation (NACTO), a New York-based organization bringing together a hundred large cities whose mandate is to study and exchange best practices in sustainable transportation.
Based on data from September 2023, the report shows that on average, each BIXI bike is used 7.3 times per day. Pedal bikes are used 6.6 times on a daily basis, while electric vehicles are used up to 8 times per day.
In total, the Quebec metropolis accumulated 12 million unique trips last year. Much more populous, New York does better in this regard with its Citi Bike system, which totals 35 million trips.
That said, New York City comes in a close second when looking at prorated usage, with an average of 5.1 uses per day, or 2.3 for standard bikes and 7.8 for e-bikes. Toronto, Boston and Hoboken, New Jersey round out the top 5.
FROM NACTO REPORT
“Montreal stands out with BIXI […] making us one of the leaders in bike sharing in North America. Further proof that Montreal is a city where it is good to cycle,” Project Montreal, the party of Mayor Valérie Plante, reacted Tuesday via the social network X. “This is only the beginning,” the organization’s marketing director, Pierre-Luc Marier, was all that was said by email.
In its report, NACTO notes, however, that “even if there are more trips per bike per day, e-bikes are not expected to replace all pedal bikes.” “Ridership remains robust for both options,” the association says.
She points out, for example, that in Boston, which did not have any self-service electric bikes at the time of the study, the Bluebikes system “served more trips per bike per day than almost all” of the other participating cities.
BIXI recently announced that its bikes were used by 576,000 cyclists in 2023, a jump of 31%, which included several days with more than 70,000 trips. For the first time, bikes were available all winter long at some 150 stations.
Pilot project at Jean-Drapeau Park
In addition, the Société du parc Jean-Drapeau announced on Tuesday the temporary closure of the Chemin du Tour de l’Isle, on July 31 and from August 2 to 13 between noon and midnight, in order to test a new pilot project “aimed at rethinking mobility” during major events. The organization states that cohabitation is “not harmonious” on this axis running alongside the P8 parking lot and used by motorists, cyclists and pedestrians. The preservation of the territory can also sometimes “be altered” during festivals, the paramunicipal company worries.