Montreal entrepreneur Alexandre Taillefer set to take over as chairperson of Bixi bike-sharing network

MONTREAL -- Montreal entrepreneur Alexandre Taillefer is poised to become the next chairperson of Bixi Montreal’s board of directors.

Montreal’s executive committee said on Wednesday it made the recommendation that Taillefer take over the role, though it must be approved at a board meeting on June 18.

Taillefer is a well-known entrepreneur who appeared on the Quebec version of Dragon's Den and most recently created the electric taxi company Téo Taxi. It abruptly ceased operations in January 2019.

He would succeed Marie Elaine Farley, who has held the top role at BIXI for the past six years and leaves it in “excellent financial health,” said Taillefer in a news release.

Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante tweeted about Taillefer’s imminent new role on Wednesday morning.
 

Je souhaite la bienvenue à @ataillefer, le nouveau président du CA de @BIXImontreal! Nous partageons la même ambition de voir notre réseau de vélo-partage atteindre de nouveaux sommets. Il sera appuyé d’une équipe solide qui a fait de BIXI le succès qu’on connaît. #polmtl pic.twitter.com/LxuU5m4YQY

— Valérie Plante (@Val_Plante) June 10, 2020

“We share the same ambition of seeing our bike-sharing network reach new heights. He will be supported by a solid team that has made Bixi the success we know today,” she said, calling him in a news release “a visionary businessman with an impressive career path.”

“His expertise in transport electrification, in particular, will be a valuable asset, as part of the Bixi bicycle fleet is developing in this direction. Alexandre Taillefer’s passion for urban mobility and his entrepreneurial spirit will also be used to ensure that Bixi continues on its positive streak and is deployed to its full potential,” she said.

Since 2011, Taillefer has been a managing partner at venture capital firm XPND, which invests in the transportation, technology, media and entertainment sectors.

Taillefer said Bixi is aiming to grow its fleet of electric bikes, adding 1,000 in July and another 1,000 next year. 

“The success of Bixi also demonstrates the enthusiasm of Montrealers for active mobility, an enthusiasm that we want to continue to cultivate in the way Bixi will develop further in the years to come,” he said.

MID-SEASON RATE

Bixi is offering up a new mid-season rate of $67, available as of June 15 and usable from July 1 to mid-November.

Bixi is reminding people that new hygiene protocols are in place for disinfecting and cleaning bicycles amid the COVID-19 pandemic and that there are new instructions for use available at Bixi.com