MONTREEAL - The BIXI self-service bike system seems to be a challenge for the past. The organization that resumed operations following its bankruptcy in 2014 again resulted in a surplus.
BIXI ended 2016 with a surplus of $ 654,000. This is slightly more than the $ 437,000 released the previous year. These results are due to higher revenues, mainly due to the arrival of a major sponsor and an increase in the number of users.
Manulife has partnered with the system as a lead sponsor. This arrival allowed BIXI to receive 2.7 million in advertising, while 1.4 million were expected.
Subscription revenues are also rising. BIXI earned just over $ 4 million, compared with $ 3.6 million.
The number of regular members has continued to increase to 39,700 in 2016, which represents a 9% increase compared to the 36,300 registered to restart BIXI in 2014.
There were 4.1 million trips last year, a little over 19,000 on average per day. No less than 70% of trips were reportedly made by people going to work.
Montreal contributed $ 2.9 million in 2016.
The year 2017 also seems to begin well, says BIXI. Despite the bad weather, officials say they see an increase in travel. The system also beat its record of daily use on May 28, while 39,500 trips were recorded.
