City announces expansion to Mobi bike-share program
The City of Vancouver announced a pilot program Thursday aimed at making its bike-share system more affordable to low-income riders. An expansion to East Vancouver was also announced.
Those eligible will be able to apply for the Vancity Community Pass, which will provide a yearly membership to the city’s Mobi bike program for $20. Annual passes cost $159 at the regular price.
“People with limited financial means want a more affordable way to access the bikes,” said Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson.
Those who already have a subsidized Compass Card, or are enrolled in the Leisure Access Pass Program, can obtain the discount during the one-year pilot program.
Others can also obtain it by getting a third-party referral through a community not-forprofit.
Residents can sign up either on the Mobi website, by calling the office or visiting a pop-up station.
The program is slated to conclude in spring 2019, with a chance of becoming a permanent feature to the bike-share system.
“Supporting the public bike-share program to make it more available has been a priority for us and we’re pleased more members of our community will be able to enjoy the many benefits of cycling," said Tamara Vrooman, president and CEO of Vancity.
As part of Mobi’s expansion to Commercial Drive, 25 new stations will be installed later this summer.
With some local businesses raising concerns about bikelane proposals along Commercial in the past, Robertson said the city is still looking to make changes to the street.
“We anticipated this being a real boost for Commercial Drive,” Robertson said.
“We do have our transportation staff looking at the possibility of making changes to Commercial Drive to make it a complete street, with wider sidewalks, with protected bike lanes.”
Currently, the bike-share service area includes the downtown peninsula, bounded by Arbutus Street, 16th Avenue and Victoria Drive.
Mobi has 150 stations with over 1,500 bikes in service.
The service has more than 75,000 users to date.