As I am sitting in Montreal now, it seems appropriate to share this story:

http://montreal.ctvnews.ca/bixi-needs-more-users-and-fast-mayor-1.1...

The bankruptcy of PBSC left the city of Montreal in possession of the Bixi stations and bikes.  Now they must decide if the operating expenses are too high to justify keeping it going.  The mayor says Bixi won't last beyond this year without more subscribers (currently about 35k).

PBCS owed Montreal about $40 Mio.  They got $4 Mio from selling the international business, and got about $11 Mio in bikes and stations.  From infos I found elsewhere, their net loss of $25 Mio is about equal to the city's annual street repair budget.

I love the Bixi system.  It is ingenious.  I still remember how impressed I was with how it all worked the first time I used it.  It would be sad indeed if the birthplace of a system that is now used all over the world had to abandon it.