BIXI!!!

By Jack Nguyen

BIXI is the greatest idea ever! When we first got there, we had to walk about an hour on St. Catherine Street just to explore the town. At night when everyone was not their self, I left to explore town and eat Burger King. I was really frustrated because Burger King was so far and took so long to walk there.

The next day, Will and his girlfriend showed us how to rent the BIXI Bikes. At first I thought these bikes were so ugly and the tires are worn and there were only three speeds which to me was too slow. I thought why would anyone want to ride theses? Then I rode one and was blown away. It was a bit hot out and riding in second and third gear was fast enough to cool me down. I loved it.

The BIXI Bike itself is simply designed with a basket like frame in front and wheel and chain guards. The Bike itself is a bit heavy, but it was not that hard to ride it. The pedals power the lights that flash in the front and rear which was really cool at night. In that way motorists could see the cyclists. The BIXI machine itself is highly impressive. It had solar panels to power itself. BIXI looks very "green" and self sustainable.

There were some cons to using BIXI:

• There is only a thirty minute use every time you use it
• BIXI bikes are pretty much the same. There is no variety in the design of the bike but the gears. Most of the bikes have three gears, but I somehow came across one with seven gears. That bike was very fast.
• At night, the BIXI parking was either full or was empty. It proved hard to find parking when it was full. It was frustrating to find a bike when it was empty. 
• It does not provide helmets for protection.

• It does not give a map to show the common cycle tracks/bike routes.
• It does not accept cash.

Overall, I still like BIXI. I would like BIXI to come to Boston since I do not like walking from Northeastern to downtown. That just takes too long. I would recommend BIXI to strategically place their parking spots near MBTA stations and price their bikes per ride less than a train ride instead.

Since using BIXI, Steve and I loved it. We used it to ride from a restaurant to go to a club. It was such good exercise while transporting ourselves to our destination. Whether it was from a hotel to a restaurant, or Wanda's, BIXI was there for us. I would like to propose a bike rental program between the schools on Huntington Ave to downtown Boston. BOSTON FOR BIXI!