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Calgary had a short, if heated, debate this winter about launching a service that is painting cities green across North America: a public bike share system.

The concept got a lukewarm response from politicians, who balked at the potential $2.5-million price tag and, before demanding further study, prohibited the use of public cash for a start-up.

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As Alderman Shane Keating told a newspaper at the time, “if we’re going to get in business, then we better make sure it’s one that makes money and doesn’t cost the taxpayer.”

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His comment strikes at the heart of issues raised elsewhere in the country, where the face of bike share in Canada — BIXI — has taken root. Indeed the company behind BIXI has faced legal, financial and governance challenges that have tarnished its feel-good image and cast doubt on its viability.