Saari Hamilton rented an Evo e-bike in Nanaimo on Monday, excited to be one of the first to try out the new service.
“I think it’s a fabulous way to get people out of vehicles and out into nature,” said Hamilton, a Nanaimo resident and e-bike enthusiast.
Similar to car sharing, Evo has set up rental stations in Nanaimo, and requires the user to connect. The Evo app to unlock the bike, and are charged based on how long the bike is used.
The service launched in Nanaimo on May 1 and is operated by BCAA and Evo, with the goal of getting more people out of their cars for trips around the city.
“We’ve been operating for a couple of weekdays and also on the weekend and we’ve seen such an amazing number of rides. So so positive to see people adopting,” said Leanne Buhler, head of Evolve e-bike and e-scooter share for BCAAs.
Hamilton and her husband started based in Nanaimo Bcebike in 2009, renting and selling electric bikes when they were still a novelty, so the Nanaimo woman called this large-scale e-bike rental service a big step forward for green transportation in the city.
“I hope the students use it, I hope the people who come to town can get on the bikes and ride around our beautiful city,” Hamilton said.
Nanaimo is the first island city to have Evo bikes, but within weeks the service will expand to Courtenay-Comox. There are currently 50 bikes in Nanaimo for rent, but by the fall Evo plans to have 100 bikes for rent in the harbor city.
“And to expand the parking spaces … to more places like the ferry terminals, VIU, the hospital. So we have many conversations going on,” said Buhler.
Evo e-bike sharing is also up and running in Whistler and Simon Fraser University’s Burnaby campus, and plans to expand to more island cities down the road.
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