Students and staff can now bike for free, courtesy of U of T’s Bikechain. After filling out a membership form and providing a $25 deposit, students can sign out a bike of their choice for two business days. The rental service re-launched for the spring on April 1.
“I absolutely believe the University of Toronto has a thriving biking culture,” said Allyson Amster, Bikechain’s head coordinator. “Toronto is exploding with cycling activities.”
Bikechain was started in 2005 to provide U of T with an affordable service, while promoting an environmentally friendly form of transportation. In 2008, it became a non-profit organization. Amster hopes to eventually gain status as a charitable organization.
Bikechain also provides free biking workshops for both beginner and experienced cyclists. There is also a free repair service, which only charges for replacement parts. Students and staff can drop in any time during operating hours.
Staff said Bikechain’s success is their biggest obstacle: despite funding from two student levies, the group is struggling to keep up with demand. With approximately 20 bikes currently on the street, Bikechain is looking to double that number by the end of the month.
“We have just enough funding to support us here where we stand right now,” said Amster, citing storage issues and growing maintenance costs as onerous expenses. “In order to really maintain this size and a larger expansion, which is demanded of us by the student body, we really need to hire a mechanic who works a minimum of 30 hours a week, which we don’t have the funding to do at this point.”
Since its launch, Bikechain clocked over 5,000 visits to their workshops and repair facility, with 3,000 visits in the last 20 months. Amster said she hopes to move to a larger space than their current home in the basement of the International Student Centre.
“We have to send people away already,” said Amster. “This is supposed to be this inclusive, accessible space but when you’re telling people, ‘I’m sorry, you have to come back on Monday because we can’t fit you in here,’ they might never come back. That’s a huge loss for them and the university.”
U of T has made efforts to make the downtown campus bike-friendly, including a bike lane on St. George and placing a number of bike rings around campus. But, Amster said, the city must focus on improving bike lanes leading to and from the campus to encourage more cycling.
Bikechain operates year-round in the basement of the International Student Centre, at 33 St. George Street.
