Kelowna ready to roll with bike sharing program

Bike sharing is nothing new to the world, but it is to Kelowna.

Matt Worona with the City of Kelowna is in charge of getting the bike sharing program rolling now that Kelowna has signed a contract with a private company to bring in anywhere between 500 and 1500 rental bikes this spring.

All you need is a smartphone and wifi.

“You can unlock these bikes really, really easy to make short trips and it’s just a dollar an hour,” Worona said.

It should be mentioned that there’s a one-time $50 membership fee.

One of the reasons why these bikes are so cheap to rent is because they don’t require any infrastructure — such as bike racks. Instead, you can pick them up and drop them off at designated areas.

“There will be multiple locations around the city. We’re calling these locations havens,” Worona said.

But those locations haven’t been locked in yet. The city is still wanting to hear from residents before it makes up its mind on where they should go. The Queensway bus loop is a popular choice while other suggestions are a little out there.

“Up towards Big White. That would be kind of a long trip,” Worona said.

Input on the bike havens wraps up at the end of April, and the bikes should be hitting the streets of Kelowna by mid-May.