Bike share programs on the rise across the country

I've been a big fan of Toronto's Bike Share for years, but this summer, the program reached new heights of popularity on the back of a new app.

Reports from Bloomberg claim that Canadian and American cities are breaking records when it comes to bike rental programs. Toronto alone broke ridership records again during the week of July 15-21 with a total of 207,976 riders. Both Montreal and Vancouver also reported increases in ridership from 2022 to 2023, with more expected this year.

If you have yet to use the new app, it is simply called Bike Share Toronto, and it's built on the backbone of the Lyft app, so it works way better than the old version. You can download it on Android and iOS.

Following the havoc caused by last weeks’ rain, we heard from many of you that #BikeShareTO helped you get to your destination. With a record high ridership for the week of over 207,000 rides, we were proud to provide Torontonians with choice, ease & speed in navigating the city. pic.twitter.com/kT7ou1ceN8

— Bike Share Toronto (@BikeShareTO) July 24, 2024

The Bloomberg report goes on to show how much the prices of bike share programs have risen in the past few years, but thankfully, Toronto remains on the cheaper end of the spectrum. Vancouver doesn't fair as well, with bike rentals pushing over the $5 mark for a 30-minute trip.

Another interesting bit of information is that Lyft is looking for a partner to work with on its bike rental business, or it might sell its stake entirely. The company says it's reaching the limits of its size, but more investment is needed to roll out e-bikes as a replacement for all regular bikes.

Source: Toronto Bike Share, Bloomberg

Image source: Toronto Bike Share