The next generation of e-bike share is evolving on the North Shore.
Evolve bikes began rolling out in North Vancouver on July 1 after being selected by the North Shore’s three municipalities and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation), to replace the familiar Lime bikes.
Evolve, which is run by BCAA and works in concert with the company’s Evo Car Share, has e-bikes on the streets in Whistler, Squamish, Nanaimo, the Comox Valley Regional District and Langford.
“So, we’re all over the province and now we’re on the North Shore in Metro Vancouver,” said Leanne Buhler, BCAA’s head of Evolve E-Bike Share.
Evo users who already have the app will find they’re automatically able to make use of the e-bikes.
“That’s a really powerful tool as we’re working with our communities to try and change transportation behaviours and get people out of single-passenger vehicles and really embrace shared mobility as a real and viable option for transportation,” Buhler said.
In the first week after launch, there were 250 e-bikes deployed in the City and District of North Vancouver. That is expected to grow to 350 over the summer. The District of West Vancouver is also scheduled to rejoin the program “in the next couple of weeks,” Buhler said.
Evolve beat out three other companies in a competitive bid process to become the North Shore’s new e-bike share provider.
“As the highest-scoring proponent, Evolve’s proposal offered competitive rates for daily and monthly users, helping keep e-bike sharing accessible to our communities,” a statement from District of North Vancouver staff read.
Under the program, users will be charged $1.25 to unlock a bike, which they can do from the Evo app on their phone, plus 35 cents per minute, or $12.99 per hour, to ride. Users will also have the option to subscribe for $9.99 per month, which lowers the rental fee to just 10 cents per minute.
“So, it’s a huge discount for folks that are riding regularly throughout the North Shore,” Buhler said.
For early adopter Hassan Farahani, the change has been an improvement.
“Much nicer and noticeably lighter. The built-in helmet lock is a smart addition,” he said. “Honestly, I don’t see why we can’t have both Lime bike, scooter and Evo bikes running side by side. More options and competition are always a win for users.”
The transition between operators is intended to be fairly seamless, with many of the same rules and procedures that the municipalities had for Lime still in place, Buhler said.
The bikes are equipped with governors that automatically limit their speed to 25 kilometres per hour in most areas, though certain high traffic areas like the Spirit Trail through the Shipyards will be limited to 15 km/h.
The wheels will lock up if someone tries to ride through certain “no go zones,” which includes crossing either of the North Shore’s main bridges. Currently, users may ride to Deep Cove but they won’t be able to end their trip until they’ve returned to the Seymour area.
“As a new operator, we’ve got fresh eyes on the community and we’re looking forward to hearing from the residents and from the different municipalities about where they might want more service,” she said. “Over the course of the coming months, we’ll be looking at where can we expand.”
In the city, Evolve users must park their bikes in designated parking areas. In the district, parking is done on a “free floating” basis.
Buhler said any issues with the e-bikes should be reported to the company’s hotline at 1-844-EVO-2-EVO.
“We are a very responsive and respectful partner to our municipalities, and we know that parking management and making sure the public space is free and clear of devices is really important to all of our communities,” she said. “Every day somebody is out in the field during the peak season here, moving bikes, relocating them, repositioning them, to make sure they’re tidy, to make sure they’re clean and really attractive and useful for members to use.”
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