Sherbrooke welcomes Bixi - a novel approach to urban living

BIXI Expands to Sherbrooke, Offering Sustainable Mobility Solutions

Sherbrooke, Canada, is now home to the BIXI bike-sharing service, marking its first venture outside the greater Montreal region. This expansion, which also includes three other cities in Quebec - Saint-Eustache, Deux-Montagnes, and Saint-Lambert - brings a total of 385 bikes and 41 stations to these locations [1].

The city of Sherbrooke chose BIXI as its bike-sharing service provider after a tender was launched. Sherbrooke Mayor Évelyne Beaudin believes that BIXI's experience, non-profit status, shared risk with other cities in Quebec, and provincial access to the service are advantages [2]. The network in Sherbrooke consists of 25 stations and 255 bikes, with 80% of them being electric.

Mayor Beaudin is optimistic about the arrival of BIXI, stating that it allows a new way to "live the city" and that Sherbrooke's beauty lies in being able to have both a rural and urban lifestyle. She believes that electric bicycles are extremely practical for the city's topography and can be a real alternative to solo driving [2].

Each BIXI bike in Sherbrooke is equipped with a lock for temporary interruption of the trip without returning the vehicle. The service has been operational for a month, and data shows an average of two trips per bike per day, a ratio similar to Longueuil and Laval [1].

The BIXI network in Sherbrooke also includes the first trailer service integrated into a bike-sharing system in North America. These trailers allow users to transport heavier or bulkier items sustainably, further enhancing the functionality of BIXI bikes [3][4].

However, the use of electric-assisted bicycles in Sherbrooke requires mandatory helmet use, which can potentially act as a barrier to use or lead to fines. Vélo Québec advocates for lowering the speed limit from 32 km/h to 25 km/h on electric-assisted free-floating bikes in exchange for a regulatory change that wouldn't require helmet use [5].

The Quebec Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility is reviewing the rules for electric free-floating bikes, including studying an exemption from helmet use paired with a reduction in maximum speed [6]. The ministry is not able to indicate when the review will be completed.

Between January 1 and July 22, the Sherbrooke Police Service has issued 121 tickets for not wearing a helmet on an electric-assisted bicycle. The report is supported by the Local Journalism Initiative, funded by the Government of Canada.

Bixi's experience and brand strength were factors that contributed to winning the tender in Sherbrooke. As part of its broader Quebec network growth in 2025, BIXI now serves 13 cities with approximately 12,600 bikes (including 3,200 electric models) at nearly 1,000 stations [2]. This expansion allows users to rent bikes through a single app, with unified pricing and membership benefits across all covered cities, facilitating ease of movement between areas [2].

As of August 3, approximately 2,500 different Sherbrookois have used the Bixi service. The BIXI expansion to Sherbrooke signifies a significant step in its growth strategy across Quebec, increasing access to sustainable micromobility with a substantial fleet mostly composed of electric bikes, supported by innovative services designed to meet diverse urban transportation needs [1][2][3].

The expansion of BIXI bike-sharing service into Sherbrooke reflects the company's commitment to offering sustainable mobility solutions, not just in the greater Montreal region, but also in various cities across Quebec, such as Saint-Eustache, Deux-Montagnes, Saint-Lambert, and now Sherbrooke.
As part of its broader growth strategy in Quebec, BIXI has integrated innovative services into its network, making it easier for users to manage their transportation needs in an eco-friendly manner, even when it comes to transporting heavier or bulkier items, as evidenced by the first trailer service in North America included in the Sherbrooke network.
The introduction of BIXI services in Sherbrooke is anticipated to have a significant impact on the local lifestyle, as it offers an alternative to solo driving and promotes a sustainable urban culture, aligning with the city's rural and urban lifestyle views. This initiative is also expected to have a noticeable influence on the home-and-garden sector, as fewer personal cars might lead to reduced traffic and environmental pollution, benefiting residents' overall quality of life.