TTC board delays vote to ban e-bikes, e-scooters on transit

The TTC board decided to hold off on a vote to potentially ban e-bikes and e-scooters across Toronto's transit system during the winter season, after a host of issues in the proposed ban popped up at a meeting on Tuesday.

The vote will be held off until the board's next meeting to give the TTC's racial equity office time to determine the impact any potential policy could have on marginalized groups, a decision made after board members acknowledged there were no consultations with people who could be affected. 

In the meeting, TTC Chair Jamaal Myers moved the motion to complete an equity impact review, raising concerns over how banning the vehicles on TTC transit could affect groups like people with disabilities, seniors, and food couriers. 

"We haven't given them any time to come up with a Plan B," he told the board. 

In the meeting, the board learned about many other issues that could complicate the ban, like how it may conflict with current Metrolinx policies as well as a lack of clarity about how the city could enforce it. 

After lengthy discussions over the measure ahead of the planned vote, Coun. Stephen Holyday said he wished they had these conversations around the planned ban earlier in the year, as it was supposed to be enacted in less than three weeks, lasting from Nov. 15 to April 15 annually.

"Perhaps there could have been more room for ideas and consultation and discussion leading into [this meeting] and it seems awfully fast that it has to be implemented," he said. 

The wintertime ban was meant to address concerns over the likelihood of lithium-ion batteries found on e-bikes and e-scooters to catch on fire in poor weather conditions. 

Toronto Fire Services say the number of fires originating from e-bikes and e-scooter increased by 90 per cent between 2022 and 2023, as the number of them grew from 29 to 55. 

In the TTC board meeting, interim fire Chief Larry Cocco said there were 59 fires so far this year, with only one of them happening on a TTC train. 

The board's indecisiveness over the wintertime ban started with concerns over its inconsistency with policies that already exist at Metrolinx. 

Unlike Toronto's plan to ban all e-bikes and e-scooters from TTC trasit over the winter, Metrolinx restricted which e-bikes can be on its trains earlier this year, only allowing ones that are "UL" or "CE" certified.

Michael Longfield, executive director of Cycle Toronto, spoke at the meeting and raised concerns with how the TTC's ban could conflict with Metrolinx's policy, especially for people who take their e-bikes and e-scooters on the GO Train and later want to use the TTC. 

"Just imagine that type of user confusion about, why is it allowed on the GO train but not allowed here?" Longfield said.