[Toronto Bike Share] Toronto Bike Share. 10% off new annual membership for Presto cardholders. Now with ebikes!

Oof, I'm very soon moving out of the GTA. Would've loved to make good use of this!

That's neat that they have ebikes now. I wonder if they can charge them at the docking stations.

Interesting that they kept it the same price as a regular bike. When I was bikesharing in Paris, the regular bikes had one colour and their e-bikes had another, but other than that they were functionally the same for unlocking, authenticating, docking, etc.

But if you opted for an e-bike for your journey, you could go so much further, and that would come with a 1 EUR surcharge on your bike pass. Interesting that Toronto Bike Share didn't take this route but hey I ain't complaining.

bryan7ran wrote: ↑ Interesting that they kept it the same price as a regular bike. When I was bikesharing in Paris, the regular bikes had one colour and their e-bikes had another, but other than that they were functionally the same for unlocking, authenticating, docking, etc.

But if you opted for an e-bike for your journey, you could go so much further, and that would come with a 1 EUR surcharge on your bike pass. Interesting that Toronto Bike Share didn't take this route but hey I ain't complaining.

its a pilot project so who knows what will happen if they decide to go ahead with it fully. I certainly wouldnt mind paying a bit extra for an ebike if available.

Is it worth getting the membership right before fall ? Or should I wait for March ?

sprung wrote: ↑ I tried their ebike today, nice ride. Included with your membership at no extra cost.

I've still never tried Bike Share but I'd definitely give one of the new ebikes a try. Too bad there's no stations anywhere near me and I don't go downtown anymore.

It seems that the ebike is pedal assist only. You cannot just sit there and have the bike move with your thumb.

Can't wait to try out the new e-bikes for free in September. Been wanting to do a test run on one of them ever since my buddy purchased one last month. Admittedly, I am a little spooked by Simon Cowell's recent accident on one of them.

bryan7ran wrote: ↑ Interesting that they kept it the same price as a regular bike. When I was bikesharing in Paris, the regular bikes had one colour and their e-bikes had another, but other than that they were functionally the same for unlocking, authenticating, docking, etc.

But if you opted for an e-bike for your journey, you could go so much further, and that would come with a 1 EUR surcharge on your bike pass. Interesting that Toronto Bike Share didn't take this route but hey I ain't complaining.

That's because it's Europe, the mentality of biking itself is vastly different. People actually use them, Canadians need an incentive, esp given the winters. Not to mention distance alone is a huge deterrent between Canada and any European country. I wouldn't be surprised if they get rid of/significantly reduce regular pedal bikes in Canada for more ebikes.

DeltaSingh wrote: ↑ That's because it's Europe, the mentality of biking itself is vastly different. People actually use them, Canadians need an incentive, esp given the winters. Not to mention distance alone is a huge deterrent between Canada and any European country. I wouldn't be surprised if they get rid of/significantly reduce regular pedal bikes in Canada for more ebikes.

I think in additional to the problems you mentioned, there is safety.
Here in Canada, drivers hate bikers. And pedestrians also hate them on side walk.
So bikers are being hated no matter where they go.
The roads here are narrow and basically when you are biking on the road, you blocked 1 lane yourself.
Also, it is hard to take your bike into the train or street car. The whole transit systems is not compatible with biking.
It is just so painful to bike here.
In Europe you have bike parking that has a few levels. We only have a few bike pole here and there.
They say they are serious about promoting biking, but in reality, they are just saying it.
The one who design the biking system here probably never bike themselves.

Do you need cc for free wednesday? 30 min rides are just too limiting. $4 for each extra 30 min is crazy expensive. If the docking station are broken and didnt recognize you returned the bike, you are screwed.
Can I use prepaid cc? Or may be stack with only $1 in it?

Are they replacing the whole fleet with ebikes?

I've never used the bike share before. I would like to try it out for a few hours (not the Wednesday 1/2 hour free thing). I don't want to shell out $100 for membership to try it out. What's the best way / cheapest way for me to rent a bike for a day without having to pay $100 membership fee ?

sylvestor2002 wrote: ↑ I've never used the bike share before. I would like to try it out for a few hours (not the Wednesday 1/2 hour free thing). I don't want to shell out $100 for membership to try it out. What's the best way / cheapest way for me to rent a bike for a day without having to pay $100 membership fee ?

$7 for a 24 hour pass, or $15 for a 72 hour pass

MichaelS376229 wrote: ↑ $7 for a 24 hour pass, or $15 for a 72 hour pass

thank you. What's the purpose of paying $100 membership fee ?

happyfish wrote: ↑That's neat that they have ebikes now. I wonder if they can charge them at the docking stations.

Nope. Existing docks aren't setup with charging capability. Bike Share staff can check bikes remotely, see if battery is depleted/low, then pick it up and charge it before redeploying

bobclair wrote: ↑Is it worth getting the membership right before fall ? Or should I wait for March ?

Anytime is great to start. Just dress for the weather. Remember you always warm up a bit when biking so you want to be a bit cool before starting. Year-round biking , like walking, is fine most of the year in Toronto.

theflyingsquirrel wrote: ↑It seems that the ebike is pedal assist only. You cannot just sit there and have the bike move with your thumb.

Yup, tried one last night. It will not move until you start to pedal. There is not throttle control, etc.

Mr_Fanta wrote: ↑Can't wait to try out the new e-bikes for free in September. Been wanting to do a test run on one of them ever since my buddy purchased one last month. Admittedly, I am a little spooked by Simon Cowell's recent accident on one of them.

Simon Cowell hurt himself on a $20K electric motorbike. His has tremendous power and range. Nothing remotely close to the Bike Share unit.

joe2k1 wrote: ↑Are they replacing the whole fleet with ebikes?

No mention of that. it is a trial project for now.

sylvestor2002 wrote: ↑ I've never used the bike share before. I would like to try it out for a few hours (not the Wednesday 1/2 hour free thing). I don't want to shell out $100 for membership to try it out. What's the best way / cheapest way for me to rent a bike for a day without having to pay $100 membership fee ?

No membership fee required for daily access. Just pay the $7 for day but remember to dock it every 1/2 hour to avoid overage fees. $100 membership fee is if you wish to have unlimited access all year (with 1/2 hour redocking of course), heck of a deal .

https://bikesharetoronto.com/pricing/

sylvestor2002 wrote: ↑ thank you. What's the purpose of paying $100 membership fee ?

For unlimited access, like buying a seasons pass to Disney World vs. a 3 day or 1 day pass. All passes though require the bike to be docked, aka. 'checked in' every 30 minutes to avoid $4/30min overage fees

Mr_Fanta wrote: ↑ Can't wait to try out the new e-bikes for free in September. Been wanting to do a test run on one of them ever since my buddy purchased one last month. Admittedly, I am a little spooked by Simon Cowell's recent accident on one of them.

I wouldn't worry. These ebikes are 250 Watts whereas the monster bike that Simon was riding was around 15,000-20,000 Watts. I wouldn't call that an ebike rather a e-motorbike but it does have pedals so technically it's an ebike. Very poor reporting on his accident grouping all ebikes together.

sprung wrote: ↑ Nope. Existing docks aren't setup with charging capability. Bike Share staff can check bikes remotely, see if battery is depleted/low, then pick it up and charge it before redeploying

The station at 20 Charles St E has charging capability and they're going to add 9 more stations like this.