BIXI bike service down on first day of winter season

It's the first day of BIXI's winter biking season -- but it was hard-going for those trying to get a bike Thursday morning.

"I'm really disappointed that it's shut down," said Andrew McLean, who was on his way to work. "BIXI has become very convenient. I use it every day."

BIXI officials tell CTV News the network was down due to a service outage because of an IT problem.

"The service has been fully restored since 7:30 a.m," they said. "We apologize for any inconvenience this outage may have caused."

Thursday marks the first day of BIXI's winter biking pilot project, covering 100 square km and seven Montreal boroughs:

• Ahuntsic-Cartierville;
• Mercier – Hochelaga-Maisonneuve;
• Plateau-Mont-Royal;
• Rosemont – la Petite-Patrie;
• Sud-Ouest;
• Ville-Marie and
• Villeray – Saint-Michel – Parc-Extension.

"This is an important step in the transformation of Montreal's urban landscape and in the history of active mobility in Quebec.," BIXI said. 

BIXI's winter biking pilot project covers 100 square km and seven Montreal boroughs. (Credit: BIXI)

About 1,500 regular BIXIs have been fitted with studded tires and non-slip pedals to allow people to cycle safely no matter the weather.

"In fact, these BIXIs will be the only self-service bikes in North America to be modified for winter," the company said.