Hamilton Bike Share receives boost from city as councillors support increase in funding

Justin Chandler · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 10, 2025 2:10 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 infinitesimal ago

Hamilton metropolis councillors person voted to proceed supporting Hamilton Bike Share and see a backing summation successful the 2026 and 2027 fund process.

The ballot at council's General Issues Committee passed 13-0 Wednesday. Members voted successful favour of a metropolis unit study recommending an summation adjacent twelvemonth of $258,000 for a full publication of $744,000 to Hamilton Bike Share Inc. — the non-profit that operates the service.

Bike stock users wage to rent bicycles parked at hubs dispersed passim overmuch of the city. Using an app, they tin unlock a motorcycle and thrust it, past instrumentality it elsewhere.

According to metropolis staff, the programme has 32,000 progressive members and logged 500,000 rides successful 2024. Hamilton Bike Share expects astir 700,000 rides this year, unit said. 

In the meeting, Coun. Mark Tadeson (Ward 11) said that portion galore successful his agrarian and suburban ward may not instantly payment from motorcycle stock — which operates chiefly successful the little metropolis — helium hopes it tin 1 time expand, helping radical entree trails and imaginable aboriginal recreation facilities.  

"I tin spot that happening and americium consenting to put and physique now," helium said. 

"I'm hoping this volition beryllium a spark that gets america to marque definite our cycling web is better," Coun. Cameron Kroetch (Ward 2) said, adding motorcycle stock was thing helium was excited astir erstwhile helium moved to Hamilton. 

Funding to enactment astir 1,000 bikes

Wednesday's ballot came aft councillors deferred a determination successful December, asking unit to travel backmost with much information connected the service.

In a presumption Wednesday, Hamilton's manager of progressive proscription and mobility Peter Topalovic said the unit proposal would enactment the summation of 100 bikes, bringing the full to astir 1,000.

Hamilton Bike Share pays astir 67 per cent of the outgo to tally the service, with the metropolis pitching successful the remaining 33 per cent, Topalovic said. Following the backing increase, the metropolis volition wage astir $62 per bike, per month. 

The non-profit, which took implicit from Uber successful 2020, is successful "good fiscal lasting and sustainable" based connected projected fiscal information, Topalovic said.

The motorcycle stock programme celebrated its 10-year day successful March. Since its launch, Topalovic said, the programme has seen 3 cardinal trips, totalling implicit 6.5 cardinal kilometres. 

He added that 23 per cent of motorcycle stock users study replacing car trips with their bikes, and 41 per cent usage the work en way to nationalist transit. The programme is "designed to provender [Hamilton Street Railway] and GO stops," helium said.

McMaster grad students to person motorcycle stock pass

In March, McMaster University postgraduate students voted successful a referendum, approving a discounted motorcycle stock walk for full-time students. As a result, adjacent world year, 5,000 students volition summation entree to the work for $24.50 annually, down from the accustomed terms of $192 positive tax.

This follows a referendum successful 2024 which established a akin walk for 30,000 undergraduate students astatine the westbound Hamilton institution. 

WATCH | How McMaster undergrads got a discounted motorcycle stock pass:

Paris Liu and Sarah Gonder, 2 members of McMaster Students for Bike Share, delegated to the committee connected Wednesday, telling councillors the undergraduate walk — which their radical advocated for — has led to overmuch much cycling connected campus. 

As a pupil commuting to class before the walk existed, Gonder experienced feline calls and felt unsafe waiting "alone successful the dark" for buses, she said.

Bike share, Gonder said, is simply a "safety lifeline for galore people," allowing them to question much conveniently and independently. 

Liu told councillors she plans to determination to Europe, wherever cycling infrastructure is better, and said she hopes improvements tin hap here. 

"If Hamilton wants to support young radical here, it needs to put successful the infrastructure that makes cities livable," she said.

Another delegate, downtown nonmigratory Nicole Smith, told councillors she would usage motorcycle stock much if she felt safer riding connected metropolis streets. 

"This is simply a occupation and truthful I would really, truly impulse you each to proceed to bash the large enactment that you're doing. Continue to physique infrastructure. Continue to enactment motorcycle share," she said.

About 45 radical registered to talk oregon wrote successful to stock their thoughts connected motorcycle stock and the unit recommendation. Everyone who spoke was supportive of the metropolis continuing to money the program.

On Thursday morning, Hamilton Bike Share posted a connection connected Instagram, saying metropolis enactment volition guarantee the strategy tin proceed to beryllium "affordable, accessible, and convenient."

"Thank you to everyone successful the assemblage who came guardant to stock their stories and advocator for continuing to money the system. We are truthful touched to perceive of each the antithetic ways Hamilton Bike Share has impacted people's lives implicit the past 10 years, and arrogant to beryllium a portion of this community," it said.