BIXI is expanding at high speed on Montreal’s North Shore. The number of bike-sharing stations will triple by spring 2025 in Laval, going from 26 to 75 docking points, a “major expansion” that will cost about $4 million.
Of the approximately 49 new stations, about ten of them will be installed “this year”, before the end of the Laval season, which runs until mid-November. The remaining 39 stations will appear at the beginning of the 2025 season, starting April 15.
The number of bicycles in circulation will also increase rapidly, with a marked jump from 215 to 632 regular models and from 80 to 219 electric models within a few months.
This announcement comes “in response to the growing success of the service since its launch in 2019,” said the head of active mobility at the executive committee of the City of Laval, Vasilios Karidogiannis, on Wednesday.
“We know that the last few kilometres are sometimes a barrier to leaving the car at home and encouraging active transportation,” he said, looking forward to offering “even more options for sustainable travel while contributing to reducing GHG emissions.”
The city says it awarded BIXI a “private contract,” in other words, without a call for tenders, for a value of four million dollars. The project “is partly financed by the Financial Assistance Program for the Development of Active Transportation in Urban Perimeters (TAPU), as part of the 2030 Green Economy Plan.” Quebec is thus covering almost 50% of the expense, namely $1.9 million.
Notice to interested parties: Like some other municipalities, Laval offers a subsidy for the use of BIXI. Funding of $70 is offered to cover part of the cost of the seasonal subscription ($100) and a subsidy of $45 is also available to pay part of the monthly subscription ($60), with the purchase of a minimum of three passes. In both cases, the subsidy can only be received once.
On the Island of Montreal, the organization recently announced that its bikes had been 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, last year, bikes were available all winter on a reduced circuit, at some 150 stations.
More recently, in July 2024, more than 2 million trips were recorded by bike sharing, marking an unprecedented peak.