TTC board approves winter ban on e-bikes and e-scooters

A food delivery courier rides an e-bike in Toronto on Wednesday, January 3, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Lithium-ion-powered e-scooters and e-bikes will be banned on Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) vehicles and inside stations through the winter months.

The TTC board voted Tuesday in favour of staff recommendation prohibiting the operation, charging or transportation of lithium-ion-powered mobility devices between Nov. 15 and April 15.

“I’ve tried to do the best to strike a balance between safety and equity,” TTC Board Chair Jamaal Myers told the board.

“Staff ran this to the ground. We had multiple conversations, and I will say we also had very productive conversations with the food delivery companies in terms of like, what were the options, what were the possibilities? But in the end, there was nothing that significantly mitigated the risk of bringing on a battery to a station and the potential for fire.”

In addition to approving the ban, Myers’s motion is requesting the city and the Toronto Parking Authority to work with TTC staff, food delivery companies and labour unions to study the feasibility of providing a more secure e-bike store and battery charging facilities near stations and develop a policy by March 2025.

Myers is also requesting TTC staff to work with Toronto Fire, the city, labour groups and food delivery companies to develop a communications campaign to inform e-bike users of the transit network’s e-bike policies.

As to who will enforce the ban, Myers said that has not yet been decided. Instead, the TTC says it will focus on public education.

“I know we already have trouble enforcing the bike ban during rush hour, so this will be another layer on top of that,” the chair said, referring to the agency’s bylaw prohibiting bikes on TTC vehicles during peak hours.

The councillor is also directing staff to communicate with the province and Transport Canada and advocate for the development and implementation of safety regulations for e-bikes and the lithium-ion batteries they use.

“I think we just have to recognize the reality that these bikes are here to stay. So rather than simply trying to wish the problem away, I think we should start working with business and working with other city departments to mitigate the risk and to create an environment where people feel like they can still use their bikes, but in a safe manner,” Myers said.

In their report, made public in October, TTC staff cited fire safety risks lithium-ion batteries pose as the reason for the ban.

The transit network’s staff were asked to look into fire safety around lithium-ion-powered devices after an e-bike caught fire on-board a subway train near Sheppard-Yonge Station on Dec. 31, 2023. According to Toronto Fire, the cause was the failure of the bike’s lithium-ion battery.

The staff report was initially discussed in October but the board deferred it to the TTC’s racial equity office so it could look into how the ban would impact low-income individuals, marginalized groups and gig workers, who use the devices to make deliveries.

The equity office found the ban could result in loss of income, reduced efficiency and decreased autonomy for gig and delivery workers. It recommended the TTC take a similar policy to that of Metrolinx, which requires batteries to comply with specific safety standards.

In their report, staff noted there will be no restrictions on electric wheelchairs or other mobility devices used by people with disabilities.

“These devices are always permitted on the TTC with the stipulation that they must be powered off with the brakes applied once positioned in the Priority Seating area onboard TTC vehicles,” staff said.

With files from Joshua Freeman and The Canadian Press