European-style bike subscription service coming to the region

Options for active transportation in Waterloo Region will be expanding next week.

Starting Monday, the bike subscription service, Velodel, will launch providing bicycles for a monthly fee. The difference between Velodel and other services like Neuron e-bikes and e-scooters, is subscribers keep the bikes for the duration of their subscription.

Velodel co-founder Matthew Froggatt said the idea came about after a trip to the Netherlands, where he and his partner noticed students using similar services in great numbers.

“We had a bit of an ah-ha moment. This would be awesome for students like myself or even other people in the Region who want access to a bike but maybe don’t want it all-year-round or don’t want to spend the $1,000 it costs to get one,” Froggatt told The Mike Farwell Show.

Froggatt said students, for example, may only need a bike for a semester. When they’re ready to head home or wherever, they can simply call and Velodel will come pick it up.

Riders will be able to select the size of bike they need and Velodel will bring it to their door. The subscription includes repairs, maintenance and an anti-theft device.

Subscriptions cost around $60 per month and can be renewed or cancelled anytime.

The service launches on Monday with twelve bikes in the fleet.

You can join an email list for more information about the service on the Velodel website.