Lowering Fuel, Insurance, and Parking Costs - Bixi Bike System – Montreal

BIXI is Montréal’s public bike system. Accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, three seasons of the year, from May to November.  Take one when you need one, and leave it at any of the hundreds of stations when you arrive at your destination. 

Launched in May 2009 the system provided 3,000 bicycles and 300 stations located around Montreal's central core by June 2009, expanding to 5,000 bicycles and 400 stations later that summer. On August 12, 2009, the city of Montréal announced contracts to export Bixi to the cities of London and Boston. On February 2nd 2010, the cities of Melbourne and Minneapolis also announced they were creating a public bicycle sharing system based on Bixi.  On May 21, 2010, the cities of Washington D.C. and Arlington, along with the Washington State University campus announced their decision to adopt the public bike system.

BIXI subscription (1-year) - $78 a year.

You get the right to an unlimited number of trips, with the first 30 minutes included for each trip, a BIXI-key and a personal Web space My BIXI space. Usage fees will be charged for longer trips.

1.
Insert your BIXI-key directly into the bike dock of your choice. No need to use the pay station. 

2.
When the green light turns on*, pull the handlebars firmly toward you to release the bike. 

3.
Your 30 included minutes start now! (An additional $1.50 for next 30 minutes.)

4.

Return the bike to any BIXI station. Push the front wheel firmly into any empty bike dock. (You must wait 5 minutes before taking out another bike.)

Website: http://www.bixi.com/home/

Of course, not everyone will be able to use a Bixi type bike system. However, not everyone will be able to readily access a few LRT stations either.