Rate at which delivery bikes increase in Toronto-area commuter trains draws concerns

An influx of e-bikes on GO trains has some GTA commuters concerned about whether the province’s transit agency is doing enough to keep riders safe.

Earlier this month, Janice Jim posted photos on social media of her commute into Toronto on GO Transit’s Kitchener line, showing a GO train bike carriage packed with e-bikes, leaving little space for the passengers on board to move around.

Many of the bikes appear to belong to individuals working for various food delivery services and are presumably using the train to get downtown, where business can be more brisk.

“The safety concern is that, you know, you see how packed it is. There is no way to evacuate if something happens,” she told CP24.com on Friday.

“Some of the drivers were sitting in the middle of the pile of bikes and there really isn’t a path through.”

In response to the increase in bikes and e-bikes on GO trains on the Kitchener line, Metrolinx began deploying dedicated bike cars on some scheduled trips.

In a statement to CP24.com, Metrolinx said it has taken “numerous steps” to respond to the situation, including adding scheduled trains to the line to accommodate additional passenger and bike capacity.

 

 

The transit agency noted that additional staff have been made available on platforms to “manage safety and disperse bikes evenly” across trains and said it is running an education campaign to provide more information to its cycling customers.

But Jim said the current measures do not appear to go far enough to address the problem and added that she fears an e-bike fire similar to the recent one on the TTC could happen on a GO train.

On Jan. 2, an e-bike caught fire on a subway car stopped at Sheppard-Yonge Station in North York. Passengers were able to quickly evacuate the car and Toronto Fire crews were able to contain and eventually extinguish the blaze. The owner of the e-bike sustained non-life-threatening

Toronto Fire Chief Matthew Pegg said at the time that the fire was the result of a faulty lithium ion battery pack.

The Toronto Fire Service previously said that there were 55 lithium ion battery fires in 2023, nearly double the number recorded one year prior. Pegg described the issue as one of “growing concern,” adding that the majority of these fires involve “micro-mobility devices,” such as scooters and e-bikes.

Jim called the situation on GO Transit “a disaster waiting to happen.”

“It’s a huge, huge issue,” she said.

Metrolinx said it is in “close contact” with the TTC and Toronto Fire Services since the e-bike fire on the subway.

 

“This includes conducting site investigations in cooperation with Toronto Fire Services to better understand the risk of a similar event on GO Transit services, as well as potential mitigations,” the transit agency said.

“All GO trains are constructed with flame retardant materials as per the National Fire Protection Association standards.”

Metrolinx continued that to “further enhance the safety of customers, staff and the public,” GO Transit is reviewing its bike and e-bike policies “as it relates to emergency procedures.”

Jim said in order to accommodate bikes and e-bikes on trains and space them out adequately, Metrolinx must boost service and add more bike carriages to scheduled trains.

Jim said while some who saw her social media post were well aware of the ongoing issue, others were not.

“This problem has been going on for at least a year. Most commuters are aware and just deal with it,” she said.

 

 

This article was reported by CP24