City
Is Toronto overpaying for BIXI bike-sharing?
Housing isn't the only thing that is costly in the centre of the universe these days. The city that looked like a pretty good deal back in the era of the 65-cent dollar is getting rather expensive, and we're not just talking sports tickets.
So it's perhaps no surprise that when it comes to transportation, Toronto is no cheap date. The TTC is the most expensive single-fare transit system of any big city in North America, and the under-construction Airport Rail Link may well match this feat when it finally opens. While the T-Dot may not have congestion pricing or in-city toll roads, cabs are definitely a pricey proposition as well. But what about the city's newest mode of transportation, the BIXI bike-sharing system? With North America's biggest bikeshare program about to launch in New York, now seems like a good time to take stock of bikeshare costs across the continent to see how Toronto measures up.
The table below shows all cities in the US and Canada with a public bikeshare program of more than 100 bikes. All of these systems use the membership-model for revenue; the actual bike rides are free when kept under 30 minutes (sometimes longer). There are many variations on pricing, but the simplest head-to-head comparison is the cost of an annual membership — the bread and butter of these programs.
- For the purpose of this table $1 Cdn = $1 US.
- Miami Beach does not offer annual memberships. The $90 shown is for two 90-day passes of $45, an arbitrary assumption of what "annual" means in Miami Beach.
- Chicago had a trial system with B-cycle but is now adopting BIXI for full roll-out.
- Note that although BIXI also exists in Melbourne and London, these were excluded because of the different contexts — Europe vs North America, helmet laws in Australia, currency conversions, etc.
As the data shows, Toronto is unfortunately once again fighting for the top spot in the most-expensive category. And while in Toronto your membership only gets you a 30 min jaunt without incurring extra cost, the same $95 in New York will cover a 45 minute ride — an indication of the scale and ambition of their planned installation.
On the plus side, BIXI in Toronto is year-round, not an insignificant factor when compared to, say, Montreal or Boston. And at least BIXI managed to get off the ground in Toronto, which given the current mayor and corporate financial woes of the provider was something of a miracle. Other big Canadian cities, after all are still struggling to get their programs even started.
What do you think? Is BIXI still a bargain for Toronto bicyclists, or is the city getting burned on costs yet again?
NOTE:
In response to some of the comments, we've updated the tables to show short term data and to adjust the initial assumption on Miami Beach.
Guest contribution for Larry Green / Photo by Martin Reis in the blogTO Flickr pool.
Discussion
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as in ONE of the most, not the most..... get it stupid ass?
TWO BIG PROBLEMS I HAVE ENCOUNTERED.
1) Bikes are often unavailable at times when you need them. Also docks are sometimes not available when you need to park
2) The instructions are purposely labelled to make tourists and the not so savvy think they get a bike for 24 hours for just $5.
Should we just "get over it" and accept our ridiculously high cellular fees, too?
Uhhhh really? I'm pretty sure that annual is pretty close to 365 days in Miami beach.....it's not really a location known for its harsh winters......
Is Toronto's BIXI expensive? It's not the most expensive by any means. And really, folks, for $95 or $180 it's a heck of a lot cheaper than public transit passes, taxis and paying for a car.
This article is a non-story.
London
Annual fee GBP 45 (about $72)
315 stations, 6000 bikes
year round
Melbourne
Annual fee AUD 52 (about $52)
51 stations, 600 bikes
year round
Helmet use is mandatory in Victoria but MBS will sell you a helmet for $5.
Dirtiest most expensive taxis ever, 19th century streetcar system (im guessing that the last time they go cleaned) 65$ + tip limousine ride into the city from the airport due to no rail link...
As for the bikes, they're great if you don't want to go further north than Bloor ...
Oh and house prices have gone through the roof.
When I had a membership in Montreal, I used it to get to work, visit friends, shopping, etc. I used it at least twice a day, and as much as a dozen times per day. With my Toronto membership, I have used it a mere five times total.
why lie?
Effectively the actual price of housing in NYC or London is higher but when you consider earnings are far higher in both cities then Toronto is in real terms more expensive.
And you're right, why would I lie ...
I think the relationship between the number of bikes, number of stations and geographical area is important as well and is not something the chart conveys. By that measure, the London system (projected to expand to 8300 bikes) is a pretty good deal, for a city that's generally so expensive. Boston's Hubway system should be fairly comparable to ours in terms of size, but I didn't find their bikes distributed as widely as here.
On the other hand, when you consider how useful Bixi bikes are (when you live and work within the coverage area), it is worth quite a bit. Although I'd love to see the coverage area significantly expanded, as I think the network effect of this will be worth more per bike than they currently get.
There are other reasons as well. Bixi bikes allow the bikes to be stored easily, they are also high quality bikes with lights and baskets on them. To buy a good, sturdy, high quality bike is going to cost you more than $100. A bike with as smooth a ride as a Bixi bike would cost at least $300; and to keep it in good condition will require annual tune-ups that may cost you $50 per time, not to mention the odd popped tire that needs to be replaced (there goes another $30 dollars) and just as a bike replacement Bixi bike is not so bad of a deal. Depending on how much you use it it can be cheaper.
Another advantage of Bixi bikes is that you don't have to store them and awkwardly take the Bixi bike on your apartment's elevator. You also don't need to store it in your apartment which may have limited space (and many people in the Bixi coverage area may live in a small apartment).
It certainly takes some convincing for people to sign up for Bixi bike because they make the same argument you do, but from my experience (admittedly not scientific) those who do cannot live without it. However, the Bixi bike has to expand to where you actually live and where you often go to for it to make sense. That's why it should be expanded.
Also, comparing the amount of bikes toronto has to NY is skewed because NY now has more bikes lanes and accessible bike paths to Toronto.
Either way, we're screwed and paying too much. NO membership? $5 to start off and $x per hour (I think it was $0.50 per 30mins or something like that last time I looked at the label)
The metric I used was the annual fee because many of these systems do not have monthly passes and at the end of the day bikeshare is really aimed at giving people another option for their everyday routine travels. For what it's worth, Toronto's $40/month is still the most expensive of the systems that offer monthly passes. I could have also compared 24 hr passes, which are aimed more at tourists, and in that case Toronto surprisingly does very well - the $5 access fee here is among the lowest of any city on the table. (NYC will gouge tourists for $10 for a 24 hr key.) But again, my focus was bikeshare as a service to residents for regular use so I kept it simple.
Yes, Miami Beach perhaps should not have been included given that they have no annual pass, but I didn't want to ignore this interesting and unique 1,000 bike system. Although a city of 80,000 I thought it fair to consider many residents to be seasonal, i.e. snowbirds of some variety, for whom a six month period was a fair comp. Even on a monthly basis, Miami Beach is $15 vs $40 in Toronto, so the overall conclusion (Toronto is pricey) still holds in my view.
Regarding winter, Bixi is indeed year-round in Toronto, although some racks are relocated and bikes reallocated for snow removal and other winter factors.
My own personal conclusion after surveying costs is that Toronto is paying top dollar without top-dollar service. (A familiar refrain, I know.) If Bixi were to change the time limit tomorrow to 45 min, as in Montreal, Ottawa, or New York, all would be forgiven. (Heck, Houston gives 90 min free.) Failing that, the system needs to expand. If Chicago is going to have 3,000 bikes then Toronto should too. Only then can Toronto feel that it is comfortably within its peer set when it comes to costs.
Given the current size (number and range of stations) of the bixi network in Toronto, the $95/year for unlimited 30-minute trips is totally reasonable. However, when the network grows I would hope that the 30-minute limit is raised OR the cost of additional time is reduced.
The pricing issue is not with the yearly membership... it's with the cost for one-off (non-member) rides and additional ride time.
Also I have had many instances when I wanted to dock a bike and there were no docks available. This is an area that needs improvement.
It would seem to me that if after living here you realize its such a hole compared to those wonderful cities, then you'd be on the next plane back, instead of wasting your time dumping on our fair city through the anonymity of BlogTo.
In fact, those comparisons, rather than making you sound wordly and sophisticated as you probably think, actually just make you sound like an idiot for leaving those cities in the first place, and moreso for continuing to live here despite your apparent dislike of the place.
1. Limited stations - in a city with huge urban sprawl, you NEED more bikes and stations otherwise, how am I going to justify the hefty price of subscription when I could just get a banger bike to commute on? We need more of an incentive
2. FEES/ PRICING: Why is there a TEN DAY $250 dollar holding fee on a credit card, if you're just wanting to use the bikes for a 72 hour period?!? Sorry but when tourists are on vacation, last thing they need is a $250 TEN DAY holding fee. I can't think of any other community bike sharing scheme (London, Paris, Barcelona) that requires such a hefty deposit to use something that should encourage tourists and residents alike to use.
3. Website is crap and there is no official App for phones
I really wanted to like Bixi :(
http://www.spotcycle.net/en/theapp_en.html
I can't wait to try Citibike here in NYC. Will be awesome, but I'm sure at first will also be awesomely messy, as 10,000 bikes and 13,000 taxis wage open warfare on the streets.
Bixi does not reach high park or bloor west village? Weird.
Bixi does not reach trinity bellwoods, parkdale, distillery district or the beaches, what the hell?
I never said Toronto was a "shithole". I said it was more expensive to live in than those other cities without as many services, please learn to read what's written and not what you want to read and don't misquote me.
As for not living in other cities anymore.., work changes, life, marriage etc.
I like TO, its home now. i just think and Im sure most people agree that the standard of services offered for the price charged could and should be higher.
I use my other bikes for travel outside of the range of Bixi (which is too small), including further afield in the city, mountain and road biking.
In my opinion, if you live and work in the Bixi service area, it's a hell of a deal at $95, regardless of pricing in other jurisdictions. I've saved many times that in TTC fares and had a lot of fun doing it.
The service only shut down one day due to a hazardous forecast, otherwise all winter was service as usual.
http://thinkingaboot.blogspot.ca/2012/10/cardboard-bicycles.html