BIXI rolls into London

    
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MONTREAL, July 30 /CNW Telbec/ - Today, Boris Johnson, the mayor of London, launched the latest addition to the BIXI franchise. London is adding its name to an impressive list of world metropolises including Montreal, Melbourne, Boston, Washington and Minneapolis that have adopted the BIXI public bike system as an active and environmentally-friendly alternative to traditional modes of urban transport. In fact, London will be BIXI's largest undertaking so far, with 6,000 bikes and 400 docking stations ready to roll in the project's first phase, with extensions to the system definitely on the horizon.

The system in London was developed in partnership with SERCO, one of the world's leading services and outsourcing companies, for Transport for London (TfL), and will be called Barclays Cycle Hire, after its principal sponsor. The Public Bike System Company (PBSC) which runs BIXI is responsible for providing the bikes, docking points, terminals, and the technological platform that controls on-street operations, not to mention access keys and the transactional Website where users can subscribe. "We're very proud of what we've been able to accomplish in London," said Roger Plamondon, chairman of the board of the Public Bike System Company (PBSC). "It proves once again that BIXI's versatility makes it the system of choice around the globe for cities and organizations, large and small."

To adapt to London's climate and driving conditions, 43 modifications were made to the BIXI bikes used in Montreal, everything from brake control positioning to wider mudguards. Changes were also made to the terminals and related software. "The fact that we were able to incorporate so many design modifications," commented Alain Ayotte, president of PBSC, "means that the BIXI design is so intrinsically sound that it can be adapted to the demands of any city in the world."

About BIXI

Launched in the spring of 2009, BIXI is the public bike system for the City of Montreal. This service allows residents to take a bike from any station, ride it away and return it to any other station in the network. The system now boasts 400 stations and 5,000 bikes throughout the territory of Montreal.

Honored with numerous awards

BIXI is now a fixture on Montreal's urban landscape and an undeniable success. In November 2009, the management team behind the project earned Gold at the Canadian Public Sector Leadership Awards and received the same honor from the Institute of Public Administration of Canada. The system had already won considerable renown on the international stage, including placing 19th in Time magazine's list of the best inventions of 2008, a Gold Edison New Products Award in the Energy and Sustainable Development category, along with a bronze from the International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) in the Transportation category.

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