Bike Share Toronto

Bike Share Toronto is a bicycle-sharing system located in Toronto, Canada. The system was launched in 2011 by PBSC under the Bixi brand. It was taken over by the Toronto Parking Authority (TPA) in 2014. Available year-round, the system consists of 5000 bicycles and 468 stations.[2] As of 2020, the system covers over 100 square kilometres (40 square miles) of Toronto — from Eglinton Avenue in the north, Victoria Park Avenue in the east, Lake Ontario to the south, and to Humber Bay to the west.[3]

Bike Share Toronto
Station on Temperance St. at Cloud Gardens
Overview
OwnerToronto Parking Authority
LocaleToronto, Canada
Transit typeBicycle-sharing system
Number of stations625
Annual ridership2,400,384 (2019)[1]
Websitebikesharetoronto.com
Operation
Began operationMay 3, 2011 (as Bixi Toronto)
Operator(s)Shift Transit
Number of vehicles6,850 bikes
All Bike Share Trips in Toronto in 2017

As of August 2018, Bike Share Toronto has almost 13,000 active members.

History

Bike Share Toronto launched in 2011 as Bixi Toronto,[4] with 80 stations centred around the downtown core of Toronto and 1,000 bicycles.[5] The system was operated by PBSC.

In 2013, PBSC announced that it was unable to pay back $3.9-million of a $4.5-million loan from the City of Toronto and filed for bankruptcy.[6] The City decided to cover the loan by diverting money from an automated public-toilets program; the City then took control of the bike-share program.[7]

On April 1, 2014, the TPA took control of the bike share program, and renamed it to Bike Share Toronto. The new operator of the system was Alta Bicycle Share (now Motivate).[8]

A planned expansion of 22 stations for the 2015 Pan Am / Parapan Am Games was abandoned. The original stations operated on a hybrid platform; software was supplied by 8D and hardware came from PBSC. Later, each company developed its own full system of hardware and software, no longer supporting integration of components with other vendors. As a result, all existing stations would have to be replaced or retrofitted.[9]

System expansion

The first expansion launched in June 2016, with $4.9 million in funding provided by Metrolinx[10] and $1.1 million in Section 37 funds.[11][12] The expansion added 120 stations and 1,000 bikes, for a total of 2,000 bicycles and 200 stations. The TPA chose PBSC as the supplier of the new bicycles and stations. As part of the agreement, PBSC would also retrofit the existing stations to be compatible with the new stations.[13]

On April 1, 2017, the TPA transitioned the day-to-day operation of Bike Share Toronto to Shift Transit, a PBSC partner company, while maintaining ownership of the system.[14][15]

A further expansion of the system took place in August 2017, with the system expanding to 270 stations, 2,750 bikes and 4,700 docks, with $4 million in expansion funding from the Government of Canada and the City of Toronto.[16] The August 2018 expansion expanded the station to 360 stations, 3,750 bikes, and 6,200 docks.[17] By the end of 2019, 105 new stations and 1,250 more bikes had been added to the system in 2019, with a corresponding increase in ridership to over 2.4 million.[18]

In June 2020, it was announced that the system would expand substantially, with 1,850 new bicycles and 160 stations outside the downtown core, such as in North York and Scarborough. The size of the system would increase to over 200 square kilometres (80 square miles), with docking stations in 20 of the 25 wards.[19] This expansion would also add 300 e-bikes to the system, allowing easier journeys in hilly parts of the city and speeding up long-distance journeys.[20]

Ridership

Ridership numbers denote "trips" per year; one "trip" is usually between 1 and 30 minutes. The system's fee structure strongly encourages longer-distance commuters to split each journey into shorter "trips" of 30 minutes or less.

Year Ridership Source
2019 2,400,384 [18]
2018 1,975,384 [1]
2017 1,510,802 [1]
2016 834,235 [1]
2015 667,000 [21]

Bikes

The bicycles are utility bicycles; they have a unisex step-through frame with an upright seating position. They are equipped with internal hub gears, drum brakes, fenders, chain guard, generator lights, and a front rack.

The conventional bikes are PBSC's "Iconic" model. The e-bikes which have been ordered for the e-bike pilot project are PBSC's "E-Fit" model. All the bikes have been configured with three-speed hubs.[22]

Further information on the bikes and payment kiosks: PBSC Urban Solutions § Equipment

Mobile apps

It is still possible to rent a bicycle at most stations using the payment kiosk, but it is perhaps easier to use a mobile app instead. The officially-recommended mobile app is the "PBSC" app (formerly named "CycleFinder").[23] A competing app, called "Transit App", also works.

Further information: PBSC Urban Solutions § Mobile apps

Sponsorship and promotions
TD logos on bike racks

A sponsorship deal was announced with TD Canada Trust in December 2014 to cover "all operating costs".[24] TD sponsorship advertisements started appearing on bike racks in 2015.

Free Ride Wednesdays

In June 2017, Toronto Mayor John Tory announced a "Free Ride Wednesdays" program, which allowed anyone to take free trips of up to 30 minutes on every Wednesday in July 2017.[25] There were no limits to the number of trips per day. Fees applied only if any one single trip exceeded 30 minutes.[26] Free Ride Wednesdays were also held in June 2018 and August 2019.[27] Afterwards, Bike Share Toronto signed a multi-year sponsorship agreement with CAA in order to cover future Free Ride Wednesdays.[28]

Criticism

Credit cards have been found to be difficult to use at some payment kiosks. Also, users need to make stops at one or more intermediate stations during a single journey if it takes more than 30 minutes.

See also

References
  1. Bike Share Toronto [@BikeShareTO] (2018-01-03). "Happy New Year Toronto! We closed out 2017 with 1,510,802 rides, that's nearly double last year! Thank you for the continued support as we look forward to the year ahead! #BikeTO #RideToronto pic.twitter.com/JcsJSjaAAn" (Tweet). Retrieved 2018-01-13 – via Twitter.
  2. "About Bike Share Toronto - FAQ". Bike Share Toronto. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  3. "Discover our 465 Stations - System Map". Bike Share Toronto. Retrieved 2020-06-05.
  4. "BIXI bike-sharing officially launches in Toronto". blogTO. Retrieved 2018-01-26.
  5. "BIXI bike-sharing officially launches in Toronto". blogTO. Retrieved 2017-12-01.
  6. Moore, Oliver (March 31, 2014). "Pricing favours repeat users under new Toronto bike-sharing program". The Globe and Mail.
  7. Alcoba, Natalie (December 5, 2013). "Bell Media saves Bixi bike program, kicks in $5-million to pay debt, expand". National Post. Archived from the original on July 4, 2017.
  8. "Bixi Toronto Under New Management, Now Called "Bike Share Toronto" — Motivate". Motivate. Retrieved 2017-12-01.
  9. Spurr, Ben (2015-06-03). "Bike Share won't expand in time for Pan Am Games". The Toronto Star. ISSN 0319-0781. Retrieved 2017-12-01.
  10. Kalinowski, Tess (July 6, 2015). "Bike Share Toronto to double with $4.9 million from Metrolinx". Toronto Star.
  11. Kalinowski, Tess (December 9, 2014). "Bike Share Toronto sponsor means 20 new stations next year". Toronto Star.
  12. Keenan, Edward (January 16, 2015). "Section 37 — What it is, and why everybody's fighting about it". Toronto Star.
  13. "1,000 new bikes and 120 new stations coming to Bike Share Toronto program". CBC News. Retrieved 2017-12-01.
  14. "Motivate and Toronto Parking Authority Announce Transition of Bike Share Toronto Operations — Motivate". Motivate. Retrieved 2017-12-01.
  15. "BIKE SHARE TORONTO | SHIFT TRANSIT". shifttransit.net. Retrieved 2017-12-01.
  16. "Bike Share Toronto expansion gives Toronto residents 70 new bike stations". City of Toronto. August 2, 2017. Archived from the original on August 10, 2017. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
  17. "Bike Share Toronto 2018 Expansion - More bikes and new stations". Bike Share Toronto. Retrieved 2018-09-14.
  18. "2019: Celebrating a Year of Milestones". Bike Share Toronto. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
  19. "2020 Expansion: Bike Share Toronto Grows to 6,850 Bikes & 625 Stations". Bike Share Toronto. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
  20. Smee, Michael (14 January 2020). "Bike Share getting a big new cash infusion". CBC News. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  21. "Bike Share Toronto rolls into the big time with major expansion". thestar.com. 2016-07-05. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
  22. "Quote from PBSC Urban Solutions Inc" (PDF). City of Toronto website.
  23. "CycleFinder / PBSC app". Bike Share Toronto.
  24. "Toronto Bike Share gets new life with TD sponsorship". CBC News. December 9, 2014.
  25. Mezzanotte, Rita (June 23, 2017). "Mayor John Tory and Bike Share Toronto roll out Free Ride Wednesdays in July". bikesharetoronto.com.
  26. Rider, David (June 23, 2017). "Bike Share Toronto hits ridership record, offers free Wednesday rides in July". Toronto Star.
  27. "Free Ride Wednesdays are back". Bike Share Toronto. June 1, 2018.
  28. "Bike Share forms multi-year partnership with CAA". Bike Share Toronto.

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