If you noticed a golf cart driving down the road in Vancouver, you weren’t imagining things. A new rental company is offering people an alternative way to see the city, and yes, they are street legal.
HeyYa! Rentals’ electric-powered carts are the first of their kind in Canada.
The small fleet of blue golf carts can accommodate between four and eight passengers and can be rented by the hour — for a minimum of two hours — or for the entire day.
Company CEO Tasha Maynard says she was inspired to bring the idea to Vancouver after competing in the Ironman competition in Florida last year.
“I would just see these groups of people on golf carts, and their music was up and they were having such a great time,” she said.
“And every time I saw them, I would get so much energy from them, and I’d stand a little taller and run a little faster. And so, I finished the marathon and I said to my husband, you know, Vancouver needs this.”
When the family returned home, they bought their first golf cart and tested it out on the roads in different weather conditions. The company was then launched at the beginning of July.
In addition to safety features like seatbelts, headlights and turn signals, the vehicles are limited to 40 km/h and have a range of around 80 km.
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Drivers can take the vehicles on any road within Vancouver and Burnaby with a speed limit of 50 km/h or under and across the Burrard, Granville and Cambie bridges. They cannot be used on beaches, bike lanes, the seawall or the Stanley Park Causeway beyond the entrances to the park.
Renters must pay all regular parking fees in parking lots.
While the idea of zipping around in a golf cart may be attractive to tourists, at least one local organization is concerned about what they could mean for public safety.
“First of all, I think they’re a neat idea. Being elderly myself, I’m having mobility issues right now,” said Bonnie MacKenzie with Stanley Park for All, a community group most known for opposing the separated bike lane in the park.
“However, my concern is like anything, our roads are congested.”
MacKenzie is concerned about the level of training people will receive before being able to drive the carts and whether people know and will follow the rules of the road. She is also concerned about how Vancouver drivers will handle sharing the road with the slower carts.
“A lot of the car drivers that we have right now in Vancouver also get frustrated with the lack of movement and they’re going to be darting around these golf carts,” she said.
“I think it could very much be a real safety issue and a security hazard for the people who are renting them.”
Maynard says, so far, Vancouver drivers have been patient and receptive to sharing the road with the carts.
“They keep up with the flow of traffic in Vancouver so well,” she said.
“We often get waves and people will roll down their window and say, ‘Oh, that’s so great. Where can we rent one?’”
When renters book, they are given a safety video and an in-person run through of all the safety features and rules of the road.
Drivers must be at least 19 years old and hold a valid driver’s licence, including a Novice — or “N” — licence. They must also keep to the right side of the road to ensure faster-moving traffic can pass.
“It is a vehicle so you can’t be on your phone, you can’t be drinking and driving,” Maynard said.
“At the end of the day, we want to make sure that people go out and have a great time. See our beautiful city and come back safely.”
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