Ontario commuters worried about rise in number of e-bikes on Go Trains

Concerns are being raised over the safety of having e-bikes on board Go Trains, which many UberEats bike couriers rely on to deliver food.

Since early 2023, more UberEats bike couriers have been travelling from outside the city into Toronto using Go Trains to commute, raising concerns over the bikes’ safety.

Janice Jim, a Go Train commuter, says the bikes present a risk in the event of an emergency evacuation.

“Worst case scenario, something happens in that carriage, there’s no way to safely evacuate,” Jim said.

This worry came to light after an e-bike caught fire on the TTC, injuring one subway rider.

Fire crews responded to the fire at Sheppard-Yonge station last month.

Toronto Fire Chief Matthew Pegg told reporters the fire resulted from the failure of a lithium-ion battery pack that provided the power source to the e-bike.

But some UberEats couriers, like Ravinder Brar, say it is difficult to cycle from where they live into Toronto, where many of their orders come from.

In addition, Brar says it is necessary to invest in larger e-bikes to keep up with demand — which, in turn, take up more space on train cars.