Hamilton Bike Share
{{Infobox Public transit
| name = Hamilton Bike Share
| image = Social Bicycle in Hamilton.jpg
| owner = City of Hamilton
| locale = Hamilton, Ontario
| transit_type = Bicycle-sharing system
| vehicles = 1100 (as of April 2025)
| stations = 143 (as of April 2023)
| began_operation = {{Start date and age|2015|03|01}}
| annual_ridership =
| chief_executive =
| headquarters =
| website = {{URL|hamilton.socialbicycles.com}}
| operator = Hamilton Bike Share Inc.
}}
Hamilton Bike Share (previously known as Social Bicycles Hamilton or SoBi Hamilton) is a bicycle-sharing system located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. It consists of 825 bicycles at 129 hubs located in the Downtown, Westdale, Ainslie Wood and Dundas areas of the city.
The system has been operated by Hamilton Bike Share Inc, a local non-profit corporation, using equipment developed by New York–based Social Bicycles Inc.{{cite web|url=http://www.hamilton.socialbicycles.com|title=SoBi Hamilton|access-date=March 1, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140223102330/http://hamilton.socialbicycles.com/|archive-date=February 23, 2014}}
The system closed down temporarily on June 1, 2020, after system operator Jump (later acquired by Uber) broke their contract with the City of Hamilton but subsequently resumed operations later that months after Hamilton Bike Share Inc. received $400,000 in community donations.{{cite web |last=Craggs |first=Samantha |date=May 28, 2020 |title=Hamilton council votes not to fund bike share program, will store the bikes instead |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/sobi-1.5587866 |access-date=May 29, 2020 |publisher=CBC News}}{{Cite news |date=2020-06-03 |title=SoBi bikes expected back on the road by next week after council backs plan to rescue program |language=en |work=The Hamilton Spectator |url=https://www.thespec.com/news/council/2020/06/03/sobi-bikes-expected-back-on-the-road-by-next-week-after-council-backs-plan-to-rescue-program.html |access-date=2023-04-17 |issn=1189-9417}}{{Cite news |date=2020-06-30 |title=SoBi resurrected: Hamilton's bike share network is back on the road |language=en |work=The Hamilton Spectator |url=https://www.thespec.com/news/hamilton-region/2020/06/30/sobi-resurrected-hamiltons-bike-share-network-is-back-on-the-road-today.html |access-date=2023-04-17 |issn=1189-9417}}
History
In December 2013, the City of Hamilton approved the implementation of a bicycle share system, with start-up costs covered by a $1.6 million grant from Metrolinx.{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/news/hamilton-spending-1-6m-on-new-bike-share-program-1.2447817|title=Hamilton spending $1.6M on new bike share program|last=Craggs|first=Samantha|publisher=CBC News|date=December 2, 2013|access-date=November 17, 2019}} The system officially launched on March 20, 2015, though a limited system of 200 bicycles had already been operating since January 2015.{{cite web | url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/news/hamilton-bike-share-rolls-out-first-bikes-friday-1.2906859 | title= Hamilton bike share rolls out first bikes Friday|last=Carter|first=Adam|publisher=CBC News|date=January 16, 2015|access-date=November 17, 2019}}
An expansion completed in late 2017, "Everyone Rides Initiative", added 12 more hubs, 75 more bikes, and a new system of discounted memberships for low-income residents.{{cite web|url=http://www.chch.com/everyone-rides-initiative-adds-12-new-sobi-bike-hubs-hamilton/ |title='Everyone Rides Initiative' adds 12 new SoBi bike hubs in Hamilton|publisher=CHCH-DT|date=July 27, 2017|access-date=November 17, 2019}} In June 2019, the firm added a tricycle to its fleet.{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/trike-bike-share-hamilton-1.5185359|title='I'm a cyclist': SoBi adds trike to help people enjoy the freedom of biking|last=Taekema|first=Dan|publisher=CBC News|date=June 22, 2019|access-date=November 16, 2019}}
In 2020, Uber backed out of their contract with the City of Hamilton, despite being under contract through February 2021.{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/sobi-1.5577734|title='SoBi users want the program to continue in Hamilton, no matter who runs it'|last=Craggs|first=Samantha|publisher=CBC News|date=May 21, 2020|access-date=May 29, 2020}} On May 28, after 14 hours in session, Hamilton City Council decided to store all the bikes and equipment instead of funding the system's continued operation.{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/sobi-1.5587866|title=Hamilton council votes not to fund bike share program, will store the bikes instead|last=Craggs|first=Samantha|publisher=CBC News|date=May 28, 2020|access-date=May 29, 2020}} The service was temporarily halted on June 1, 2020, until the project's initial operator, Hamilton Bike Share Inc., stepped in with funding from community and corporate donors.{{cite web |last=Craggs |first=Samantha |date=May 28, 2020 |title=Hamilton council votes not to fund bike share program, will store the bikes instead |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/sobi-1.5587866 |access-date=May 29, 2020 |publisher=CBC News}} It resumed operation in late June.{{Cite web |last=Craggs |first=Samantha |date=June 30, 2020 |title=Hamilton's bike share program is back on the streets |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/sobi-1.5632698/ |access-date=Apr 16, 2023 |website=CBC News}}
On July 16, 2021, Cogeco announced a three-year sponsorship with Hamilton Bike Share.{{Cite news |date=2021-07-16 |title=Hamilton Bike Share scores new sponsor, new wheels — and new hope of city funding? |language=en |work=The Hamilton Spectator |url=https://www.thespec.com/news/hamilton-region/2021/07/16/hamilton-bike-share-scores-new-sponsor-new-wheels.html |access-date=2023-04-17 |issn=1189-9417}} Stickers with the company logo were later added to bikes across the system.
In July 2021, the Portland Bureau of Transportation donated 600 surplus Biketown bikes to City of Hamilton as Portland was transitioning the system into using electric pedal-assist bikes.{{Cite web |date=2021-07-12 |title=PBOT News Release: PBOT to donate original BIKETOWN bikes to Bend, Ore. and Hamilton, Ontario, expanding access to biking and reducing the carbon footprint of bike-sharing in Portland {{!}} Portland.gov |url=https://www.portland.gov/transportation/news/2021/7/12/pbot-news-release-pbot-donate-original-biketown-bikes-bend-ore-and |access-date=2023-04-17 |website=www.portland.gov |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Rankin |first=Christine |date=July 16, 2021 |title=Portland will donate 600 used bicycles to Hamilton's bike share program |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/portland-hamilton-bicycle-share-program-1.6093449/ |access-date=April 16, 2023 |website=CBC News}} The bikes shared proprietary parts and technologies as the existing Hamilton Bike Share fleet, making it possible to reintegrate the bikes in a separate system and avoiding having to discard the bikes that are still in usable conditions. Their orange paint scheme was preserved and were deployed to the system in February 2023 along with old blue or white bikes.{{cite tweet |author=Hamilton Bike Share |author-link=Hamilton Bike Share |user=HamOntBikeShare |number=1629169949917822978 |date=February 24, 2023 |title=You may start noticing a pop of orange in the fleet!🟠🟠🟠 This past year we've received compatible bikes donated from our #BikeShare friends at the City of Portland, Oregon as part of an innovative reuse project. 1/ https://t.co/1gBjjaP2jr |language=en |access-date=April 17, 2023}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Official|https://hamilton.socialbicycles.com/}}
{{Bicycle sharing systems}}
{{Hamilton, Ontario}}
Category:Community bicycle programs
Category:Transport in Hamilton, Ontario