TORONTO, August 19, 2020 – Today, Mayor John Tory was joined by Councillor James Pasternak, Chair of the Infrastructure and Environment Committee, Robin Oliphant, Toronto Parking Authority (TPA) Acting President and Rhonda English, Chief Marketing Officer, CAA South Central Ontario to announce the return of Free Ride Wednesdays in September.
Thanks to the new Bike Share Toronto – CAA South Central Ontario partnership, Bike Share Toronto riders will ride for free every Wednesday in the month of September. Riders can take out a bike for up to 30 minutes, return the bike to any station, and take out another bike for an additional free 30-minute ride.
Today Bike Share also launched the pedal assist electric-bike (e-bike) pilot program, announced earlier this summer as a new feature of Bike Share Toronto’s 2020 expansion. The e-bikes will be available in the system starting today, and the 10 e-bike charging stations for the pilot will be installed over the next several weeks. E-bike charging stations will be able to charge 20-25 bikes at each station.
The e-bikes will allow users to travel a maximum of 25 kilometers and can travel up to 70 kilometers without requiring a charge. E-bike charging stations are fully compatible with the rest of the bike share system, allowing both manual bikes and e-bikes to be docked in any station. E-bikes will be picked up by operators throughout the date to ensure that they are being charged for the next day. Once the e-bikes are charged, operators will leave them at one of the 10 e-bike charging stations across the city.
In an effort to prioritize health and safety, Bike Share Toronto has ramped up its cleaning program during the COVID-19 crisis. As bikes are regularly in use and exposed to the environment, Bike Share continues to strongly recommend that riders take the steps outlined in the City of Toronto’s COVID-19 Health Advisory when using the system. The best way to prevent infection is to follow the recommended personal hygiene measures by cleaning your bike before use.