The Toronto Transit Commission board has voted to ban electric bikes and scooters with lithium-ion batteries from TTC vehicles and stations from November 15 to April 15 each year due to safety concerns.
At its meeting on Tuesday, the board voted six to four in favour of the ban.
TTC board chair Jamaal Myers said before the vote that the ban would likely take effect starting on Tuesday.
Myers said staff looked at other ways to lower the fire risk, such as whether batteries could be removed and put in fire-safe bags, whether the TTC could use the standards adopted by Metrolinx and whether e-bikes could come on trains before 7 a.m. and after 12 a.m. He said the suggestions didn’t significantly reduce the fire risk.
The question of enforcement of the ban will have to be put to staff, Myers said. The TTC already has a ban on regular bicycles during rush hour and that ban is not effectively enforced.
He added that the fire risk of electric bikes is greater in winter because of the presence of salt and water can make a battery corrosive.
The motion, moved by Myers, includes provisions that the city and the Toronto Parking Authority work with food delivery companies and labour unions such as Gig Workers United, to study the feasibility of providing more secure e-bike storage and battery charging facilities near transit stations.
The motion also requests that the city work with companies to support their workers’ needs, including requiring verification of e-bike and battery certification to use food delivery platforms.
And it directs TTC staff to advocate for the development of safety regulations for e-bikes and their batteries to the Ministry of Transportation and Transport Canada.
Report found ban could affect marginalized groups
The ban comes after an e-bike caught fire on a subway train at Sheppard-Yonge subway station in December last year. A man suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the fire. No one else was injured.
An e-bike powered by a lithium ion battery aboard a Toronto subway caught fire and quickly spread into the surrounding subway car, injuring one person. As the number of these devices increases, fire chiefs say these types of fires are becoming much more common.
The vote also comes after the board received a report, written by the TTC’s chief people and culture officer Shakira Naraine, that said low-income individuals and marginalized groups would be disproportionately affected by a proposed seasonal ban on electric bikes and scooters.
The report said e-bikes are a “readily available and affordable” form of commuting for low-income individuals, and alternatives may be seen as less economically viable and convenient.
The ban could result in loss of income, reduced efficiency and decreased autonomy for gig and delivery workers, it added.
In October, the board was presented with a report that recommended a ban on lithium-ion battery powered mobility devices from TTC vehicles and stations each year from Nov. 15 to April 15, following concerns over potential fire hazards.
The board decided to refer the report to the TTC’s racial equity office for a review of how the ban might affect gig workers and disadvantaged groups. Naraine’s report followed.
Metrolinx allows “permissible e-bikes” on its vehicles if they have battery and electrical system comply with standard UL or CE requirements.
“CE” stands for Conformité Européenne certification, which signifies that products sold particularly in Europe have been assessed to meet high safety, health, and environmental protection requirements, according to the European Union.
“UL” stands for a certification by the Underwriters Laboratories Of Canada, an independent organization that conducts product safety testing, certification, and inspection.