Getting around the Toronto Islands is about to get much easier. For the first time, public bike rentals will be available on the islands this summer, following a new motion approved by city council.
Councillors voted during their Apr. 23 and 24 meetings to support a proposal pushed forward by Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik to allow the Bike Share Toronto to operate at two locations on the islands: Ward’s Island Ferry Landing and Hanlan’s Point Ferry Landing.
For more than 30 years, bike rentals on the islands have been the exclusive domain of Toronto Island Bicycle Rental, known for its fleet of bikes, tandems and quadricycles.
That exclusivity is now set to end, as the city amended its agreement with the rental company to enable the new Bike Share pilot.
The pilot will launch with 200 rental bikes split between the two ferry terminals.
HOW TO OPERATE BIKE SHARE
Residents looking to rent a bike from Bike Share Toronto, must download the app to get started.
Users can then use the app to purchase a pass, which could be a flexible short-term pass or a value-packed annual membership.
Once downloaded, they can scan the QR code with the app camera to unlock the bike from a Bike Share dock and start a ride.
The trip is completed once users lock the rented bike at any available dock in a Bike Share station, and the app then charges them based on the time of the rental.
Currently, Bike Share offers two types of bikes users can choose from, including classic bikes or e-bikes.
Classic bikes offer a smooth, reliable ride designed for comfort and ease, while e-bikes come with pedal assistance to help make the trip faster and help with tough pathways, such as steep hills.
ONLINE REACTIONS ON NEW PILOT
Torontonians are sharing their thoughts on social media about the pilot program set to launch this summer, with many users raising concerns about its logistics.
“I wonder if there are going to be problems with ensuring not too many or too few bikes on the island. Sometimes they don’t do a good job of redistributing them,” one Reddit user said.
“It will prob be a logistical nightmare. Won’t nearly all bikes end up at the boarding area at the end of the night without enough docks for everyone? Would they keep a finite number of dedicated island bikes? Or do you let people take them on the ferries? How will balancing it work bike share staff if more bikes are always leaving? What about people bringing them over on water taxis? We need a bridge, damn,” another user said.
“I bet it will take a bit to iron out the logistical issues, I’m definitely not expecting it to work perfectly on day 1, but at least they’re making an effort,” a different user also commented.
The City’s Parks and Recreation department and Bike Share Toronto will be monitoring ridership and collecting feedback to assess the program’s success to determine the next steps of the program.
