Goodbye Bixi, hello “Bike Share Toronto”
The long-awaited changing of the bike-share guard is going to be happening on Tuesday, April 1, when Bixi Toronto officially uncouples from its bankrupt Montreal-based parent company and becomes a ward of the Toronto Parking Authority. The handover won’t be totally seamless, though. Here are the changes you should know about, including a peek at the new logo.
1. It’s no longer going to be called “Bixi Toronto” This is the change people who don’t use the service will probably find most noticeable. The new name for Toronto’s bike-share system will be, simply, “Bike Share Toronto.” This could change in the future if the Toronto Parking Authority is able to find a private company willing to fork over some money in exchange for naming rights.
2. There’s going to be a new logo And it’s going to look a lot like the Toronto Parking Authority’s existing “Green P” logo:
3. The system is going to be operated by a Portland, Oregon-based company called Alta Bike Share It’s a company with contracts in several other cities, including New York.
4. Prices are changing Annual memberships are going from $95 to $90, and monthly memberships are going from $40 to $18, which should save frequent riders some money. On the other hand, short-term memberships are going up in price. 24-hour passes are changing from $5 to $7, and 72-hour passes will be $15 instead of $12. There are also plans to start making deals with local businesses who want to offer reduced-price memberships to employees.
5. There’s going to be a new website
BikeShareToronto.com isn’t live yet, but it should be online by Tuesday, April 1.
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