Bixi’s board of directors is asking for $2.9 million from the City of Montreal for the next five years to keep the service running.

Bixi Montreal, the not-for-profit organization that now runs the service, held a news conference Sunday to discuss the results of its do-or-die 2014 season.

It had 33,216 active members this year, down by about 2,500 members, or seven per cent, from 2013.

Occasional ridership was also down -- there were nearly 50,000 fewer occasional rides than in 2012.

Still, Morin says Bixi is a key component of Montreal’s transit system.

Perhaps most importantly for Bixi, the season was spent coming up with a list of recommendations to present to the city regarding the service’s fate.

The board, which was put in place this year, came up with a five-year business plan which it says will necessitate a $2.9-million financial contribution from the city each year.

“We know from analysis that we've done that similar systems are not cash flow positive. They always have a component of public or private funding,” said Sylvia Morin, vice-president of Bixi Montreal.

The recommendations focus on the "optimization" of the system and its upkeep, and board president Marie Elaine Farley says the proposals will give the service a “solid base on which to build the future.”

Part of the board's plan to save Bixi includes developing its clientele, working on more profitable business partnerships and increasing promotions and sponsorships.

The board also wants to target specific groups.

“Tourists are a big component of Montreal in the summer. And we feel that if we reach out to them and work with the tourist community, we'll be able to increase ridership,” Morin said.

Two years ago, the City of Montreal loaned the company $37 million, with $71 million in loan guarantees.

In late January of this year, the Public Bike System Company, which owned and ran Bixi before, filed for bankruptcy protection and asked the city to take over the service. The company had $47 million of debt.

The city recently approved a $5-million budget to get the program through its 2014 season.

At the time, Mayor Denis Coderre said it was “out of the question” for the city to spend more money on the service.

At the beginning of February, the interim head of Bixi, Michel Philibert, was laid off along with 11 other employees.

The job losses came soon after it was revealed Philibert was one of 39 employees to have received a bonus from the company, despite its financial issues.

The mayor sent out a tweet last week asking for Montrealers' opinions on the service.

The opposition says spending the money is a good idea.

“What we have is really positive results from Bixi in really difficult conditions. We had reorganization, bad weather and tough publicity and uncertainty as to the future of Bixi. What we have is a business plan that ... worked this year,” said Craig Sauve, Projet Montreal’s transport critic.

Coderre is expected to reveal whether Bixi will return for a seventh season in the near future.