E-bike sharing program launches in Nanaimo

A new e-bike share program that started this week in Nanaimo with 16 central locations could expand to nearby ferry terminals by summer.

The bike share is a partnership between the B.C. Automobile Association’s Evolve (Evo)

E-Bike Share program and the City of Nanaimo.

A total of 100 e-bikes will be available in zones including downtown, the Old City Quarter, Maffeo Sutton and Bowen parks, plus commercial and residential areas. Plans call for the program to eventually include Vancouver Island University and Nanaimo

Regional General Hospital.

Users can get access to the bikes through the free Evo app.

After opening the app, the rider signs up, locates an available bike and unlocks it by scanning its QR code.

Helmets are stored in each bike’s basket.

Riders can pay by the minute or hour. The cost is 35 cents per minute, $12.99 per hour, or $9.99 for a monthly subscription that comes with a 10 cent-per-minute cost.

Bikes can be returned to any Evo parking area in the city.

Beginning Wednesday, the first 1,000 new Evo members will get 30 minutes (good for 30 days) of e-bike time by using promo code NANAIMO when signing up on the Evo app or going to evo.ca.

The new program “marks a significant step forward in our city’s journey towards sustainable transportation solutions,” Mayor Leonard Krog said in a statement Friday.