Hamilton Bike Share

Hamilton Bike Share offers these membership types:

• Pay As You Go (15¢/minute)
• Monthly User ($20/month)
• Seasonal Supporter ($100 for 6 months)
• Mac Students

How it Works

1. Pick a plan. Visit hamilton.socialbicycles.com and choose a payment plan to open an account and get started. Each rider must have their own account.
2. Unlock. Unlock a bike right away by scanning the QR code on the bike in the SoBiapp,(or pick up an RFID Access Card to unlock bikes without a smartphone).
3. Ride. You can ride anywhere within our service area. Your payment plan determines the cost of your ride.
4. Return. To end your trip, lock your bike to any bike share hub. You do not need toreturn your bike to the same hub you started from. You can also lock a bike outside of a hub to a post or regular bike rack within the service area for a $1 convenience fee.

Everyone Rides Initiative

Hamilton is also home to the Everyone Rides Initiative (ERI) which is committed to equity in cycling and removes the barriers that prevent people from accessing bikes and cycling as an option for transportation and fun! The ERI works to make Hamilton Bike Share more equitable through:

• Bike access
• Subsidization
• Education
• Outreach

 For more information visit: www.everyonerides.org

Subsidized Passes

Through the Everyone Rides Initiative, subsidized bike share passes are for individuals with financial and/or technological barriers to bike share access, including newcomers and individuals on Ontario Disability Support Program or Ontario Works. In 2024, 426passes were distributed compared to 300 in 2023. With an increase in passes, the number of trips increased to 43,571 in 2024 from 27,208 in 2023. 

Adaptive Bike Hubs

Through Everyone Rides Initiative, adaptive bikes are available to ride seasonally (April -November). The adaptive bike fleet currently includes upright and recumbent trikes, handcycles, passenger cargo trikes, and e-assist options. There are two adaptive bike hubs located at Gage Park and Bayfront Park. Learn more about Adaptive Bike Hubs

Service Area 

The service area boundaries include part of Ward 13 (Dundas) and Ward 5 (seasonal Van Wagner’s Beach Hub serving the Waterfront Trail), and all of Ward 1 (West Hamilton), Ward 2 (Downtown), Ward 3, Ward 4 to Kenilworth (East Hamilton), and an extension to the Royal Botanical Garden’s Hamilton location at the Rock Garden.

Find a Bike Share Bike or Hub

2014 - The City of Hamilton, in partnership with Social Bicycles, started the implementation of a bike share program.

January 2015 - 200 bikes and 100+ stations were installed between downtown Dundas and Gage Park as part of the first test phase of the new year-round program.

Spring 2015 - the full fleet of 750 bikes was deployed for the official launch of the program. The bike share was operated by local not-for-profit, Hamilton Bike Share Inc., as a subcontractor to Social Bicycles.

2017 - the City partnered with Hamilton Bike Share Inc. to expand the Everyone Rides Initiative (ERI), Canada’s first Bike Share Equity program. ERI has removed barriers to travel for thousands of Hamiltonians who cannot afford to access bike share, as well as newcomers to Hamilton, and those who require adaptive bicycles, such as three-wheeled bicycles.

2019 - Social Bicycles rebranded as JUMP Mobility and was then purchased by Uber, who took over the operations from Hamilton Bike Share.

2020 - In May when JUMP/Uber announced they would be breaking their contract early and ending system operations in June, Hamilton City Council passed a motion allowing Hamilton Bike Share Inc. to operate the bike share system until February 19, 2021.

2022 - Hamilton City Councilors passed a motion to renew Hamilton Bike Share’s operating contract and contribute annual funding to the program’s operating costs, connectivity fees, and Everyone Rides Initiative program from 2022 - 2025. 

2024 - In March, McMaster Students Union passed a referendum to introduce an annual bike pass for all full-time undergraduate students, paid through a tuition fee levy. In September, this pass launched for all eligible students. Through this increase in user fee revenue, Hamilton Bike Share added more bikes to the system to help meet the demand of increased ridership.

2024 - In May, an expansion into Ward 4 funded by a federal grant from the Healthy Communities Initiative included five new hubs between Ottawa St and Kenilworth Ave.

2024 - From January 1 - December 31, there were 31,957 active members of Hamilton Bike Share, completing 508,997 trips that totaled 949,928 kms saved 236,095 kg of carbon.