A city council is considering a proposal to replace all short-haul municipal bus routes -- those under five kilometres -- with a fleet of shared electric bicycles. Proponents argue that most short trips within the city currently taken by bus could be completed just as quickly by bicycle, since traffic congestion slows buses far more than it slows cyclists on dedicated lanes. They further argue that electric bicycles produce no tailpipe emissions, require far less road space than buses, and cost a fraction of a bus fleet to purchase and maintain.
Based on data from a three-month pilot in one neighbourhood, the city's transport committee has concluded that replacing short-haul bus routes with shared electric bicycles would reduce both average commute times and the city's transport budget, without reducing the number of residents able to complete their daily commute.