News

November 16 2017
City to expand successful public bike share program

The City, in partnership with Mobi by Shaw Go and TransLink, is pleased to announce an expansion of the bike share program service area to Commercial Drive.

 “Over the last year and a half, it has been remarkable to watch the growth of Vancouver’s public bike share system, and it’s great to be able to expand it further into East Vancouver,” says Mayor Gregor Robertson. “Since July 2016, we’ve seen more than 650,000 trips covering over two million kilometres across our city on Mobi by Shaw Go bikes. With more than 50 per cent of all trips in Vancouver now made by walking, cycling and transit, Mobi has helped us fill the gaps in our active transportation network, while also reducing congestion and supporting our greenest city goals.”
 
In a survey conducted in 2016, the number one recommendation to improve the system was an expansion to Commercial Drive and East Broadway. The expansion will service the Commercial-Broadway SkyTrain station, as well as eastside neighbourhoods including Strathcona, Grandview-Woodland, more of the Downtown Eastside and Mount Pleasant, and into Kensington-Cedar Cottage.
 
“TransLink is pleased to support this expansion of the bike share program as we continually look for ways to connect our customers to the transit network,” says Kevin Desmond, CEO, TransLink. “Through initiatives such as #biketotransit, we are always looking for ways to help more people combine cycling with transit. This includes adding more secure bike parkades at SkyTrain stations in coming months, and through our annual funding to municipalities, we’re helping communities add new bike lanes and bike paths across the region.”
 
The expansion will build on the current network with stations every two to three blocks, and will include approximately 50 additional stations and 500 bicycles.
 
"We couldn't be more excited to be planning Mobi by Shaw Go's expansion to Commercial Drive,” says Mia Kohout, the General Manager of Mobi by Shaw Go. “The amount of requests we have received over the past year and a half for an expanded service and stations on the Drive has been overwhelming, and finally we can tell our current and potential users that it's happening."
 
The Mobi by Shaw Go service area currently includes the Downtown Peninsula, roughly bounded by Main Street, Arbutus Street, 16th Avenue, and into Stanley Park. The expansion area east of Main Street is generally bounded by Victoria Drive to the east, East 16th Avenue to the south, and the waterfront to the north.
 
Since launching in 2016:

  • Mobi has facilitated over 650,000 trips
  • Over 35,000 people have ridden on a Mobi bike
  • Mobi bikes have collectively travelled over 2 million kilometres
Funding from TransLink will be provided under the Bicycle Infrastructure Capital Cost Sharing (BICCS) program. Additional direct capital costs will be borne by Vancouver Bike Share Inc. (the operator of Mobi by Shaw Go) with the City of Vancouver providing ongoing support and contractual oversight. 
 
To learn more about Vancouver’s public bike share system, visit 
www.vancouver.ca/bikeshare.
 
Source: City of Vancouver 
News Release
Nov 16, 2017