Bixi celebrates end of season, announces expansion to 5 more boroughs

Today is the last day to use a Bixi before the season officially ends Nov. 15, and the company says it's hit a new record for 5.3 million trips taken in 2018.

This marks the 10thyear of Bixi's operation in Montreal. The service will continue to grow next year, with the company expanding services to five more boroughs:

• Lachine
• Saint-Laurent
• Montral-Nord
• Anjou
• Saint-Lonard

The expansion will mean 60 new stations and 1,000 additional bikes will be put into circulation next spring.

This comes after the bike-sharing service announced it was rolling out some electric bicycles to join the fleet in the summer.

Since the beginning, Bixihas seen a steady growth in users and rides. BixiMontreal presidentMarie Elaine Farley has attributes that growth to measures, such asOPUS card payment, electric bikes and increased safety.

To mark the Nov. 15 deadline when Bixi stations will start disappearing from street corners across the city, the company is holding a 10th anniversary celebration and inviting Bixi-users to ride their bikes to work for a chance to win prizes.

Between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., Bixiusers can return their bikes for "hibernation" and enter a contest to win prizes.

Since the trip is intended to be one-way, the STM will be handing out 100 one-trip tickets to help cyclists get home.