Vancouver bike rental shops fear losing business over city's bike share program

Bike rental shops in Vancouver say they're concerned they will lose a large part of their business once the city's bike sharing program rolls out. 

"We are worried. I'm not going to say that we aren't," said Saba Safari, owner of Stanley Park Cycle. 

For the past 20 years, Safari's bike shop on Denman Street has been kept afloat despite rising costs, wages, and rents. Today, he feels like the city's bike share program is in direct competition with businesses like his. 

"We are going to try to manage through it as best as we can. We will have to roll with the punches — they're being thrown," Safari said. 

The City of Vancouver's long-awaited bike share program is expected to roll out any day now and will eventually include up to 1,500 bikes at 150 different stations. 

Bike shops, especially those near Stanley Park, mostly rely on tourists for their business, and some forecast their businesses will be negatively impacted by 30 to 40 per cent. 

"Definitely the city doesn't want us to be around, that's exactly what it feels like," Safari said. 

But the City of Vancouver said its program is aimed at local residents interested in taking a short trip. 

"It's your everyday life. Going to and from work, going to and from shopping, visiting a friend or neighbour," said Scott Edwards, the city's public bike share manager. 

"[But] if you want to rent a bike for several hours or half-day or a day or you want a speciality bike, please support one of our local businesses."

Edwards added that once the bike sharing website is launched, it will also reference the location of local bike shops. 

He said there is also a 50-metre buffer zone between the bike sharing stations and the shops. 

Despite that, Sam Shahbkakhshi, owner of Bikes on Robson, feels like his store is surrounded by the stations and would like to see them set up away from Stanley Park. 

"Take these bike racks and put them closer to transit spots — SkyTrain, bus station, shopping malls even, hospitals. Not next to bike shops and not next to Stanley Park, because Stanley Park is a tourist destination," said Shahkbakhshi. 

While Shahbakshi isn't sure if tourists will take up the city's bike sharing program, he is still concerned about it impacting business in the winter months. 

"In winter time, when [people] come here for seminars from other countries they take the bikes for weekly, monthly rentals — which is good for our business — but now that there is a bike share program they won't even be coming to our store for that," he said. 

Shahbakhshi is giving it a year to see how the program will impact business and said he will then rejig his business plan from there.