BIXI is Montreal's public bike share system consisting of over 5,000 bikes available at 405 stations across downtown Montreal from April to November. Users can take bikes from any station and return them to any other station. There are membership and casual use fee options, with fees charged based on trip duration. Members receive 45 minutes of riding per trip for free while casual users get 30 minutes free with each 24-hour or 72-hour access pass. Users must agree to terms of use, provide a credit card for security deposit, and are responsible for following bike rules and properly docking bikes after use.

1. A GUIDE TO THE BIKE
By Catherine Daccache
What is BIXI?
BIXI is Montreal’s public bike system and it is a self-serve bicycle rental scheme set up by the
City of Montreal managed by the Public Bike System Company.
BIXI bikes are available at various BIXI stations across the Montreal downtown area. They
are accessible 24 hours a day starting from the month of April till the month of November.
Not only is biking an excellent form of exercise, but it is also an environment-friendly mode
of urban transportation.
The BIXI bike can be taken from any
BIXI station and left at any BIXI
station once the biker has arrived
at his/her destination. There are
405 BIXI stations in Montreal,
which makes a total of 5,050 BIXI
bikes.
A bixi station in Montreal. Image source: Flickr
Usage Fees
Created for short trips, the BIXI fee system works according to the duration of the trip and
there are different types of usage fees:
1. If you want to become a BIXI member, you have to subscribe online at
www.montreal.bixi.com . As a member, you can either subscribe for 1 year and pay a
total of $ 78 CAN (taxes included) or subscribe for a month and pay a total of $ 28
CAN (taxes included).
The usage fees for members differ depending on the duration of the bike trip.
Members are granted 45 minutes riding time per trip, free of additional charge. If
the free time is exceeded, additional fees will be charged accordingly, and for every
additional half-hour exceeded, $ 6.00 CAN are charged. Members receive a member
key with which they can have access to a BIXI bike by entering it in the keypad slot in
the dock.

2. 2. As for casual BIXI users, if they wish to have 72-hour access to a BIXI bike, the charge
is $ 12 CAN. If they wish a 24-hour access, the charge is $ 5 CAN. Both these fee
packages are granted 30 minutes free of charge for each trip within those 24 or 72
hours. If the time limit is exceeded, additional fees will be added, like with the
members’ usage fees.
NOTES:
A $ 250 CAN security deposit will be required for a duration of 10 days per 24 or
72-hour access.
A maximum of 2 BIXI bikes can be used per credit card. If the bike trip lasts more
than 30 minutes, additional fees will be charged to the credit card according to
the time span.
For more information on fees and time limits, visit the BIXI website under
Subscription/Fees.
Parts of a BIXI station:
What You Will Need:
A helmet
A valid Visa, MasterCard, or American Express credit card
How to get your BIXI bike:
1. At the pay station, touch the bike icon on the screen. You should be able to see the
usage contract appear on the screen.
2. Read and accept the usage contract by touching the accept icon.
3. Insert your credit card in the slot. Remember that a security deposit of $ 250 will be
placed on your credit card for 10 days.

3. 4. You should see your unlock code appear on the screen.
5. Print or view your unlock code. It is valid for a period of 5 minutes, and if you take
longer to use it, skip and go to step 11.
6. Go to the bike dock of your choice. You should see a keypad on the bike dock.
7. Enter your unlock code on the keypad of the bike dock you chose.
8. You should see a green light on the keypad.
9. Firmly pull the handles of the bike toward you to release the bike.
10. When your trip is over, return the bike to any BIXI station.
Slide the front wheel of your bike into an empty dock to lock your bike.
You should see a green lock after you lock your bike.
Warning: If you do not see a green light after you dock your bike, it means that
it was not successfully returned. Try another dock, or try again until you see the
green light.
If you wish to take another bike, wait 2 minutes and then proceed.
11. To obtain a new unlock code, re-insert your credit card and the system will
recognize it and no additional fees will be charged to your card if you make trips
under 30 minutes.
Your Responsibilities:
If you do not return your BIXI bike after 24 hours of having released it from its dock, the
bike will be presumed stolen and a penalty of $ 1000 CAN will be charged to your credit
card. Therefore, in case of emergency, loss, accident, or any other kind of incident, you must
call to notify at 514-789-BIXI (2494).
Do not repair or dismantle a BIXI bike. In case of malfunction, notify and BIXI technicians
will assist.
Avoid going off-road and only ride the bike in the city.
One person at a time is allowed to ride a BIXI bike.
You are solely responsible for the way you ride your BIXI bike and any damage you may
cause to it.
For more information, visit www.montreal.bixi.com or call 514-789-BIXI (2494)