After only 18 months, Torontonians have taken Bixi bikes on over one millions trips around the city. Today, Melanie Brayne, the lucky one-millionth rider, received a prize by Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong (Ward 34, Don Valley East) at an event at City Hall.
She received a one-year membership to Bixi and a Samsung Galaxy Note. Her prize-winning ride was last Friday morning, a 13 minute trip to work.
“This is honestly the best way for me to get around economically, financially, environmentally. It’s great,” Brayne said who uses the Bixi system two or three times a week.
“A fantastic number of people have been riding, a million transactions. We also have very significant membership. We hope to have a many million more riders,” Minnan-Wong said.
Recently, Minnan-Wong was the central figure in the controversial move to tear up the bike lanes on Jarvis street.
“Over the next five years we’re spending $43-million on developing a bike network,” Minnan-Wong said. The city of Toronto has also given Bixi a $4.8-million loan guarantee, should the company run into financial difficulty.
“An arrangement like this should be run by the private sector and that makes sense and quite frankly that allows us to do other things and invest money elsewhere like building separated bike lanes,” Minnan-Wong said.
After its launch in May 2011, it only took Bixi Toronto 18 months to see its one millionth rider.
“I think Toronto is making some really big strides … but I think there’s still a long way to go before it’s where we would like to see it,” said Brayne.
Photo by Jonathan Zettel
5 comments
In six months Minnan-Wong will turn up at Brayne’s house and demand the prize back.
I get the shivers when Minnan-Wong and bicycles are mentioned in the same article.
Minnan-Wong is an epic embarrassment to Toronto and should be banned from speaking about any matter at any time at any place.
Bike share will make Minnan-Wong obsolete, mostly by making a whole group of non-riders advocates for better bicycle facilities. Can’t wait for this day (and I don’t live in Toronto).
Congratulations to the City of Toronto and its bike-share program. WOW!! A million riders in 18 months. WOW!!