The city of Montreal has maintained that taxpayers will never pay a cent for Bixi. But if the bicycle-sharing service flops, the city could be on the hook for as much as $104 million after it agreed to guarantee the network’s loans and credit lines last week.
But city executive committee member Manon Barbe says it’s worth the risk, because Bixi has proven very popular locally, and its international sales are boosting Montreal’s reputation and will eventually finance the service’s growth in Montreal. “It’s a great Montreal success story – 30,000 members, 3.3 million trips taken (locally) last year. Everybody wants it in their neighbourhood,” said Barbe, who is responsible for transportation.
[How does this compare with what your city has "put on the line' for cycling? -MH]
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