A GoFundMe has been launched to save SoBi in Hamilton

Supporters of Hamilton’s bike share service are taking matters into their own hands.

After city council voted to scrap Hamilton’s SoBi bicycle program, Hamilton Bike Share has stepped up and created a GoFundMe campaign.

The goal is to raise $400,000 in order to continue operating the bike share system for the current 26,000+ users and future riders. So far the campaign has already raised $40,000 in less than 24 hours.

City staff have estimated that it would take around $700,000 annually for the city to run the 900-bike network. But it’s estimated that for around $400,000, a new operator could keep the service running until the end of the year.

Uber – the operator of SoBi – notified the City of Hamilton on May 15th that they would cease operations of the fleet of city-owned bikes. Emergency ward infrastructure funding from the City was denied in an 8-8 tie vote, leading to heavy criticism on social media.

In the eyes of many, SoBi is an essential transportation service. It offers the “last mile” connection between a bus stop to a place of work or school — or offered the flexibility of cycling the entire journey from beginning to end.

Those that cannot afford to own a bike or live in an apartment complex with insufficient security or storage rely on the bikes station to get around.

There is also the concern of forcing Hamiltonians to commute via bus, which during a pandemic, heightens the risk of exposure to COVID-19. Alternatives like a taxi or Uber may be considered safer than a bus, but come at a price that’s higher than a bike rental.

If you’d like to support the GoFundMe campaign, please go to this link.

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• bike share
• GoFundMe
• Hamilton
• HamOnt
• sobi