BIXI MONTRÉAL Celebrates its Tenth Anniversary by Revealing Several New Features and Starting the Season Five Days Early
MONTREAL, April 10, 2018 /CNW Telbec/ - The Mayor of Montreal, Ms. Valérie Plante, BIXI MONTRÉAL's Chairman of the Board, Ms. Marie Elaine Farley, BIXI MONTRÉAL's CEO, Mr. Christian Vermette, and the President and CEO of Manulife Quebec, Mr. Richard Payette, joined BIXI's valued partners and pioneers this morning at the École de technologie supérieure de Montréal to welcome the tenth season of Montreal's bike-sharing service. The Tuesday, April 10opening of BIXI comes five days earlier than in the previous years. According to Ms. Farley, numerous new features will be available for users.
"BIXI is now, more than ever, a key player in mobility in Montreal. With 6,250 bikes and 540 stations, the bike-sharing service is now part of the everyday lives of thousands of people. Its popularity amongst Montrealers and tourists alike is undeniable, as demonstrated by its record-breaking numbers from last year. BIXI is deeply rooted in our DNA. We just love to ride them. I hope that BIXI and its users have a great, successful tenth season," said Montreal's Mayor, Valérie Plante.
"We are extremely proud to have achieved a 94% satisfaction rate on our 2017 BIXI survey and, once again this year, BIXI MONTRÉAL will be continuing its commitment to being an urban mobility player that is accessible and innovative, offering the best customer experience. We are collaborating with key players in the transportation industry who are committed to intermodality in Montreal. We hope that it will help a maximum number of people discover BIXI, especially students, who will now be benefiting from a discounted rate," mentioned Ms. Farley.
BIXI SERVICE IS MORE ACCESSIBLE THANKS TO MANULIFE'S ONGOING COMMITMENT
Seeking to encourage a healthy lifestyle, Manulife is continuing its partnership with BIXI by giving as many people as possible the opportunity to discover the service in Montreal. Free BIXI Sundays, offered by Manulife, will take place on May 27, June 24, July 29, August 26, September 30 and October 28, 2018. "We are entering into our third year of this successful partnership, which demonstrates our commitment to promoting a healthy, active lifestyle for all Quebecers," said Richard Payette, President and CEO of Manulife Quebec.
BIXI RIDES INTO THE FUTURE: NEW PROJECTS AND SPECIAL RATES UNIQUE TO MONTREAL!
A DISCOUNTED RATE FOR FULL-TIME STUDENTS AND CITIZENS OF 65 AND UP, AS WELL AS THE NEW "BIXI À LA 10" PACKAGE
To celebrate its tenth anniversary with its customers, BIXI is offering a special discounted rate of $2 per trip to full-time students and citizens of 65 years and up who are registered on the BIXI platform and have an OPUS card with photo. This initiative was made possible thanks to the collaboration of the transportation organizations associated with OPUS (RTL, RTM, STL, STM, RTC, ST Lévis, MRCJT) and the ARTM.
BIXI is also offering a new package deal, "BIXI à la 10," which includes 10 one-way passes for only $25 (regular price is $29.50). New signage with higher, more visible panels will also be installed to increase the visibility of BIXI stations in the streets of Montreal.
UPCOMING PROJECTS
This season, BIXI will be implementing a new eco-friendly, fast and efficient system for redistributing the bikes, called "BIXI-Trailer." Two tricycle trailers will be used to easily transport the bikes in areas that are difficult for the BIXI trucks to access.
The BIXI management will also be evaluating the possibility of implementing electric bikes, allowing people from neighborhoods further out to be able to enjoy this active mode of transportation and, at the same time, increasing BIXI's coverage area and the number of trips taken.
BIXI IS ENHANCING ITS CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE THANKS TO MANULIFE AND ITS TWO NEW COLLABORATIVE PARTNERS
Aiming to make the BIXI service more accessible while improving customer experience, new partners are joining forces with BIXI in 2018: the cellular telephone service provider Fido and the online eyeglass retailer Clearly. Free BIXI Sundays, offered by Manulife, BIXI MONTRÉAL's presenting partner, will be back this year as of May 27.
"I am very proud of how successful our projects with our presenting partner, Manulife, have been over the last few years, as well as the new BIXI features we will be offering in 2018 in collaboration with Fido and Clearly, for our users to enjoy. I would also like to thank LA PRESSE and Astral Affichage, our media partners," said the CEO of BIXI MONTRÉAL, Mr. Vermette.
He added: "The passion revolving around the BIXI service over the past few years is the result of the work of our dedicated and loyal BIXI MONTRÉAL staff and Cyclochrome, as well as BIXI's management team, its board of directors and all of our suppliers and partners. I would also like to thank the City of Montreal for its exceptional contribution, which has made it possible to develop the bike-sharing service in the city, as well as the new Mayor, Ms. Valérie Plante, who has maintained the strong ties that have united the City, Montrealers and BIXI for 10 years now."
FIRST BIKE-SHARING SYSTEM IN NORTH AMERICA: BIXI, 10 YEARS IN THE LIVES OF MONTREALERS!
In 2007, the project for Montreal's first bike-sharing system was born. This creative, dynamic and innovative project was named one of the best inventions of the year by Time Magazine and had two goals in mind: to offer Montrealers a fun, eco-friendly mode of transportation and to make bikes accessible for daily use. In 2008, Montreal became the first city in North America to have a bike-sharing system, and on May 12, 2009, the first BIXI season was officially launched. One year later, BIXI took the world by storm with several large cities opting for this innovative system, including Washington, London and Melbourne. The network in Montreal expanded in 2011 and 2012, with new stations being installed in Longueuil and Westmount.
In 2014, BIXI MONTRÉAL was created, symbolizing a return to its roots: bike-sharing FOR Montrealers BY Montrealers. A new organizational structure was put in place and the new administration worked hard to regain Montrealers' trust. In 2015, the organization enhanced its service offering and reviewed its pricing. In 2016, Montreal became one of the first cities in North America to install a payment system connecting public transit to the bike-sharing system (Opus card). The number of users and trips hasn't stopped growing over the years.
2017: A RECORD-BREAKING YEAR
Frequent technological innovations, a varied pricing structure meeting the needs of different users, a vaster network and a growing passion from citizens and visitors alike allowed BIXI MONTRÉAL to have a record-breaking year in 2017. In 2017, the year of Montreal's 375th anniversary, more than 258,000 people (+144% compared to 2014) took a grand total of 4.8 million trips (+51% compared to 2014). Also, for the first time ever, BIXI recorded more than half a million purchases of an assortment of membership types (+217% compared to 2014). A record of 41,728 trips in one day was reached on July 30, 2017, during one of the Free BIXI Sundays offered by Manulife (last record: 31,500 trips in 2011).
"Much more than a simple mode of transportation, BIXI is a fast, easy and inexpensive way to get around the city and enjoy the economic, cultural and social activities, Montreal has to offer. Promoting health, quality of life and sustainable transportation, BIXI is a great asset to Montreal and an emblematic brand around the world. ", concludes Ms. Farley.
ABOUT BIXI MONTRÉAL
BIXI-MONTRÉAL is a non-profit organization created by the City of Montreal to manage the bike-sharing system in Montreal. As of 2018, the network has 6,250 bikes and 540 stations in Montreal, Longueuil and Westmount.
ABOUT MANULIFE, BIXI-MONTREAL'S PRESENTING PARTNER
Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services group that helps people achieve their dreams and aspirations by putting customers' needs first and providing the right advice and solutions. We operate primarily as John Hancock in the United States and Manulife elsewhere. We provide financial advice, insurance, as well as wealth and asset management solutions for individuals, groups and institutions. By the end of 2017, we had approximately 34,000 employees, 73,000 agents, and thousands of distribution partners, serving more than 26 million customers. As of December 31, 2017, we had over $1.04 trillion (US$829.4 billion) in assets under management and administration, and in the previous 12 months we made $26.7 billion in payments to our customers. Our principal operations are in Asia, Canada and the United States where we have served customers for more than 100 years. With our global headquarters in Toronto, Canada, we trade as 'MFC' on the Toronto, New York, and the Philippine stock exchanges and under '945' in Hong Kong.
ABOUT CLEARLY
The third largest online retailer of vision products in the world, Clearly's mission is to offer better vision to everyone. Founded in 2000, the Clearly.ca website offers a large selection of contact lenses, eyeglasses and sunglasses delivered right to your door. Clearly has also committed to providing a person in need with a pair of glasses every time someone orders eyeglass frames on their website. Owned by Essilor, the organization's headquarters are in Vancouver, British Columbia. For more information on Clearly, please visit their website www.clearly.ca.
ABOUT LA PRESSE, BIXI-MONTREAL'S MEDIA PARTNER
La Presse is a major French-language newspaper in Canada and its content is available on several platforms (digital edition for tablets, mobile apps, web). La Presse stands out for its distinctive, rich and diversified coverage of the news. A recipient of numerous distinctions for the quality of its content and presentation, La Presse is also recognized for its series and in-depth articles, as well as for the large space it dedicates to debates. La Presse+, the free digital edition of the paper, uses all of the multifunctional capabilities of a tablet and offers the most complete news experience ever offered by the largest newsroom in Quebec.
SOURCE Bixi Montréal
