Toronto Tries Bike Sharing Again

Officials are hoping the new system, modeled after other successful systems, will work better and be able to withstand the budget shortfalls that put the first system under.

"What’s different this time? Beyond the basics, Bixi Toronto bears little resemblance to BikeShare’s low-tech, grassroots approach. Instead, it follows a formula pioneered in Lyon, France that went for big scale and high tech to succeed where so many other bike sharing systems had failed. In 2005, Lyon and its private sector partner blanketed the city in automated rental kiosks so that there was always a station close to where you started and another to where you were going. Lyon subsidized its operation with ads on the specially built bikes, which featured a sturdy and distinctive design that discouraged theft. And, critically, they charged extra for trips over 30 minutes, encouraging members to return bikes promptly so that each bike could be used many times each day."