Bike Share Toronto is a

bicycle-sharing system A bicycle-sharing system, bike share program, public bicycle scheme, or public bike share (PBS) scheme, is a shared transport service where bicycles are available for shared use by individuals at low cost. The programmes themselves include both ...

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Ontario, operated by the Toronto Parking Authority (TPA). The system consists of over 9,000 bicycles and over 850 stations, and covers over in 21 of the 25 wards of the city, with plans to expand to the entire city by 2025. The system was launched in 2011 by PBSC Urban Solutions under the BIXI brand and was taken over by the

City of Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

through the Toronto Parking Authority in 2014. The system is currently sponsored by

Tangerine Bank Tangerine Bank ( operating as Tangerine) is a Canadian direct bank that is a subsidiary of Scotiabank. It offers no-fee chequing and savings accounts, guaranteed investment certificates (GICs), mortgages and mutual funds (through a subsidiary) ...

. Since 2016, the system has been gradually expanded, with ridership increasing to a high of 7 million rides in 2024.

History

Bike Share Toronto launched in 2011 as BIXI Toronto, with 80 stations centred around the

downtown core The Downtown Core is the historical and downtown centre of the city-state of Singapore and the main commercial area in Singapore excluding reclaimed lands with two integrated resorts such as the Marina Bay Sands, one of the most expensive buil ...

of Toronto and 1,000 bicycles. The system was operated by PBSC. In 2013, PBSC announced that it was unable to pay back $3.9 million of a $4.5 million loan from the

and filed for

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the deb ...

. The City decided to cover the loan by diverting money from an automated public-toilets program. The City then took control of the bike-share program, and April 1, 2014, the Toronto Parking Authority (TPA) took control of the system, and renamed it to Bike Share Toronto. The new operator of the system was Alta Bicycle Share (now

Motivate Motivation is an internal state that propels individuals to engage in goal-directed behavior. It is often understood as a force that explains why people or animals initiate, continue, or terminate a certain behavior at a particular time. It i ...

). A planned expansion of 22 stations for the 2015

Pan Am Pan American World Airways, originally founded as Pan American Airways and more commonly known as Pan Am, was an airline that was the principal and largest international air carrier and unofficial overseas flag carrier of the United States for ...

/ Parapan Am Games was abandoned. The original stations operated on a hybrid platform; software was supplied by 8D and hardware came from PBSC. Later, each company developed its own full system of hardware and software, no longer supporting integration of components with other vendors. As a result, all existing stations would have to be replaced or retrofitted.

System expansion

The first expansion launched in June 2016, with $4.9 million in funding provided by

Metrolinx Metrolinx is a transportation agency in Ontario, Canada. It is a Crown agency that manages and integrates road and public transportation in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA). It was created as the Greater Toronto Transportation Au ...

and $1.1 million in Section 37 funds. The expansion added 120 stations and 1,000 bikes, for a total of 2,000 bicycles and 200 stations. The TPA chose PBSC as the supplier of the new bicycles and stations. As part of the agreement, PBSC would also retrofit the existing stations to be compatible with the new stations. On April 1, 2017, the TPA transitioned the day-to-day operation of Bike Share Toronto to Shift Transit, a PBSC partner company, while maintaining ownership of the system. A further expansion of the system took place in August 2017, with the system expanding to 270 stations, 2,750 bikes and 4,700 docks, with $4 million in expansion funding from the

Government of Canada The Government of Canada (), formally His Majesty's Government (), is the body responsible for the federation, federal administration of Canada. The term ''Government of Canada'' refers specifically to the executive, which includes Minister of t ...

and the City of Toronto. The August 2018 expansion expanded the station to 360 stations, 3,750 bikes, and 6,200 docks. By the end of 2019, 105 new stations and 1,250 more bikes had been added to the system in 2019, with a corresponding increase in ridership to over 2.4 million. In June 2020, it was announced that the system would expand substantially, with 1,850 new bicycles and 160 stations outside the downtown core, such as in

North York North York is a former township and city and is now one of the six administrative districts of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the northern area of Toronto, centred around Yonge Street, north of Ontario Highway 401. It is bounded by ...

and

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, sub ...

. The size of the system would increase to over , with docking stations in 20 of the 25 wards. This expansion would also add 300 e-bikes to the system, allowing easier journeys in hilly parts of the city and speeding up long-distance journeys. In 2020, due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

and consequential stay-at-home orders, ridership grew by 20%, with records being set for both the busiest day and the busiest weekend on the system. The number of people with annual memberships increased to 465,000 from 2019 to 2020, around double the previous figure.

In 2021, ridership again grew by 20% to 3.5 million, with the TPA calling the growth "tremendous". On May 16, 2021, 27,000 riders were taken, setting a new one day ridership record. TPA also noted a large increase in the number of riders following the installation of bike lanes on

Bloor Street Bloor Street is an east–west arterial road in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Bloor Street runs from the Prince Edward Viaduct, which spans the Don River (Ontario), Don River Valley, westward into Mississauga where it ends at Central Parkway. East ...

. Toronto Bike Share began piloting a 45-minute membership, as well as developing a growth plan for future system expansion. In 2022, TPA announced that work on a 4-year growth plan had begun, with objectives such as increasing the number of stations to 1,000, the number of bikes to 10,000 (including 2500 e-bikes), expanding the spread of the system across all 25 wards of Toronto, and improving first and last mile connections and increase equitable access to the system. Initial expansion in 2022 included 13 new stations as well as 225 new e-bikes & 100 regular bikes. Overall, ridership grew by 31% in 2022, to 4.6 million. In 2023, 122 new stations were added, and ridership grew by 24% to 5.7 million. In 2024, 70 solar stations were added, along with 335 e-docks, for a total of 862 stations.

Ridership

Ridership is measured in the number of trips taken. A trip is counted whenever a bicycle is undocked and re-docked. Longer commutes may be counted as multiple trips, in part due to memberships encouraging shorter individual trips.

Payment and Pricing

Payment can done via a payment kiosk installed at each station, by key card at each dock, through their mobile app, or through their mobile website. Riders who have no membership or pass must pay a $1 unlock fee. After which, they will be charged a fee based on duration of use. The fees are $0.12/min for a classic bicycle and $0.20/min for an

e-bike An electric bicycle, e-bike, electrically assisted pedal cycle, or electrically power assisted cycle is a bicycle with an integrated electric motor used to assist propulsion. Many kinds of e-bikes are available worldwide, but they generally fa ...

. A 24-hour pass may also be purchased for $15, which allows for unlimited 90 minute rides on classic bikes. Annual memberships are also available. There are two tiers, the Annual 30 which allows for unlimited 30 minute trips at $105/year, and the Annual 45 which allows for unlimited 45 minute trips at $120/year. Both tiers only provide unlimited trips on classic bicycles, but halves the rates of e-bikes to $0.10/min. Exceeding the duration limit will incur overage fees. These fees are priced at the normal rates the riders pay for classic and e-bike usage. It is recommended that riders dock and undock another bike often to reset this duration.

Reduced Fare Pass Program

Subsidized

Toronto Community Housing Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) is a public housing agency in Toronto, Ontario. It is the largest social housing provider in Canada with over 58,000 units across 2,100 buildings and approximately 105,000 residents. It is the second-l ...

tenants are eligible for the Annual 30 plan for a reduced price of $5, while market rate tenants are eligible for a 20% discount off annual membership rates.

Ontario Disability Support Program The Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) is a means-tested government-funded last resort income support paid for qualifying residents in the province of Ontario, Canada, who are at least eighteen years of age and have a disability. ODSP a ...

recipients may qualify for annual memberships, where the e-bike per-minute fee is reduced to 0.

Corporate and Student Discounts

Employees of registered companies or students and faculty members from registered schools can receive a 20% discount to their membership rates.

Bikes

The bicycles are

utility bicycle A utility bicycle, city bicycle, urban bicycle, European city bike (ECB), Dutch bike, classic bike or simply city-bike is a bicycle designed for frequent short, moderately paced rides through relatively flat urban areas. It is a form of utility ...

s; they have a

step-through frame A step-through frame (also known as open frame, drop frame, or low-step frame) is a type of bicycle frame, often used for utility bicycles, with a low or absent top tube or cross-bar. Since mounting or dismounting a step-through does not requi ...

with an upright seating position. They are equipped with internal hub gears,

drum brakes A drum brake is a brake that uses friction caused by a set of shoes or pads that press outward against a rotating bowl-shaped part called a brake drum. The term ''drum brake'' usually means a brake in which shoes press on the inner surface o ...

, fenders,

chain guard A chain is a serial assembly of connected pieces, called links, typically made of metal, with an overall character similar to that of a rope in that it is flexible and curved in compression but linear, rigid, and load-bearing in tension. A ...

, generator

lights Light is an electromagnetic radiation, part of which stimulates the sense of vision. Light or Lights may also refer to: Illumination * Lighting * Light bulb * Traffic light Arts and entertainment Music * Lights (musician) (born 1987), Canadian s ...

, and a front rack. The conventional bikes are PBSC's "Iconic" model. The e-bikes which have been ordered for the e-bike pilot project are PBSC's "E-Fit" model. All the bikes have been configured with three-speed hubs. The e-bike rollout started in 2020, with 300 pedal-assist electronic bikes. By 2024, there were 1600 e-bikes in the system.

Mobile apps

A mobile app can be used to rent bikes, instead of using the payment kiosk at stations. Until 2024, the officially-recommended mobile app was the "PBSC" app (formerly named "CycleFinder"). A competing app, called

Transit Transit may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * ''Transit'' (1980 film), a 1980 Israeli film * ''Transit'' (1986 film), a Canadian short film * ''Transit'' (2005 film), a film produced by MTV and Staying-Alive about four people in countrie ...

, also works. In 2024, Bike Share Toronto announced a new official app, simply titled "Bike Share Toronto," developed by Lyft Inc.

Sponsorship and Promotions

Between late 2014 and 2016,

TD Canada Trust TD Canada Trust, commonly shortened in marketing to simply TD, is the Canadian commercial banking division of the multinational TD Bank Group. It is the list of banks and credit unions in Canada, second-largest commercial bank in Canada by assets ...

sponsored Toronto Bike Share, covering "all operating costs" at a cost of $750,000 a year. This sponsorship was not renewed. In 2020, the TPA signed a 3-year deal with Bell Media (Astral) for advertising rights at stations. The TPA also stated that they were investigating the potential of a systemwide corporate sponsor, similar to other systems like

Santander Cycles Santander Cycles (formerly Barclays Cycle Hire) is a public bicycle hire scheme in London in the United Kingdom. The scheme's bicycles have been popularly known as Boris Bikes, after Boris Johnson who was Mayor of London when the scheme began o ...

in London. In May 2023, it was announced that

had signed a five year sponsorship agreement with Bike Share Toronto. This would help fund initiatives included in a 4-year growth plan, with Tangerine Bank customers receiving rewards for using the system.

Free Ride Wednesdays

In June 2017,

Toronto Mayor The mayor of Toronto is the head of Toronto City Council and chief executive officer of the municipal government. The mayor is elected alongside city council every four years on the fourth Monday of October; there are no term limits. While in ...

John Tory John Howard Tory (born May 28, 1954) is a Canadian lawyer, broadcaster, businessman, and former politician who served as the 65th mayor of Toronto from 2014 to 2023. He served as leader of the Official Opposition in Ontario from 2005 to 2007 ...

announced a "Free Ride Wednesdays" program, which allowed anyone to take free trips of up to 30 minutes on every Wednesday in July 2017. There were no limits to the number of trips per day. Fees applied only if any one single trip exceeded 30 minutes. Free Ride Wednesdays were also held in June 2018 and August 2019. Afterwards, Bike Share Toronto signed a multi-year sponsorship agreement with CAA in order to cover future Free Ride Wednesdays.

References

External links

*
PBSC mobile app

Transit App
{{Bixi Community bicycle programs Cycling in Toronto Bicycle sharing in Canada