Now in its tenth year, the North American Bikeshare & Scootershare Association (NABSA) is excited to bring the NABSA conference to two cities in Ontario, Canada – Hamilton and Toronto– for the Growing Shared Micromobility: Connecting People & Places Conference this September 19-22. The NABSA Annual Conference is the leading global venue for shared micromobility and transportation leaders, practitioners, operators, and equipment providers to tackle important issues facing the industry.

With events in two cities, this year’s conference offers a unique opportunity for attendees to experience different contexts in two neighboring cities and the multi-jurisdictional nature of mobility. This year’s conference attendees get the chance to benefit from two conference hosts, the City of Hamilton and Toronto Parking Authority.

For over a decade, shared micromobility has helped to reduce carbon emissions from transportation, and increase equity and access to transportation. According to the latest Shared Micromobility State of the Industry Report for North America, in 2022 shared micromobility offset approximately 74 million pounds of CO₂ emissions (34 million kg) by replacing short car trips, and 64% of riders use shared micromobility to connect to transit. Additionally, the report highlights shared micromobility equity programs, with systems offering discount programs, alternative payment options, incorporating geographic distribution policies, and offering education and outreach initiatives. The NABSA annual conference is the key place for attendees to discuss industry trends, innovate ideas, and shape the future of shared micromobility together. 

“Shared micromobility continues to deliver as a tool for transportation decarbonization and creating more equitable transportation networks.” said NABSA Executive Director Sam Herr. “Shared micromobility is at an important moment and the NABSA conference plays a crucial role in bringing together the public, private, and nonprofit leaders and practitioners of the industry to move it forward.” 

Shared micromobility in Canada has continued to evolve and grow. Last year riders in Canada took an estimated 19.2 million trips on 29,000 vehicles. Since the Province of Ontario announced that it would begin a five year pilot program for e-scooters in 2020, more municipalities have explored and launched scootershare pilot programs and regulatory allowances to support them. 

In September, conference attendees will experience firsthand shared micromobility growth in Canada through the lens of Hamilton and Toronto’s programs. 

One of NABSA’s two 2023 conference hosts, City of Hamilton, partners with Hamilton Bike Share to operate over 800 smart bikes that cover 15 square miles (25 square kilometers of the city). Beginning in April of this year, the City of Hamilton launched an e-scooter pilot program and shared e-scooters can now be used as a transportation solution throughout areas of the city.

“Micromobility continues to grow in Hamilton like never before and we are excited to share our experience. We are growing and expanding our Hamilton Bike Share program, including a geographic expansion and the potential addition of e-bikes. There is also a new Adaptive Bike Hub, which is featured on one of our mobile tours, where people can try out all kinds of bikes for all kinds of abilities. We also recently launched a shared e-scooter program in the city which will be expanding to various areas of the city,” says Peter Topalovic, Project and Program Manager of Sustainable Mobility at City of Hamilton. “As an early adopter of free-floating bike share in 2015 and an early adopter of Complete Streets designs, the city is excited to bring people from around the world together to learn from each other and further the successes of the industry.”

Toronto Parking Authority (TPA) is also a host of NABSA’s two-city conference this year. Toronto Parking Authority’s mission is to reimagine how Toronto moves by creating a seamless mobility experience that delivers on choice, ease and speed through Toronto. The TPA manages Bike Share Toronto, which provides 24 – hour access to a network of over 7,100 bikes in 680 stations across 20 of the city’s 25 wards.

When asked what they are most excited to share with conference attendees, Justin Hanna, Director of Bike Share Toronto at Toronto Parking Authority, says, “We were thrilled to announce in May that Tangerine Bank is the new exclusive Presenting Partner of the Bike Share Toronto program. It’s an exciting partnership that will help create simple and easy ways to move Toronto forward and will support numerous Bike Share Toronto initiatives included in its Four-Year Growth Plan.” When looking forward to the conference Justin says, “This industry is growing at a rapid pace, so we are very much looking forward to reconnecting with industry leaders and learning about the latest and greatest in micromobility.”

The NABSA Annual Conference will feature a Keynote from Karla Avis-Birch, Chief Planning Officer at Metrolinx, the agency of the Government of Ontario that manages and integrates road and public transport in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. During her keynote, Karla will share how she guides the planning and benefits of the regional transportation network and how shared micromobility helps to achieve end-to-end transit solutions. A champion of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, she is deeply passionate about raising awareness of inclusion and diversity issues, and encouraging the fostering of inclusive workplace environments. 

In addition to plenary and break-out sessions, this year NABSA will be unveiling a new resource, Building a Better Shared Micromobility Industry: Best Practices for More Diverse and Inclusive Workplaces. This resource is part of NABSA’s ongoing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiative and is an update of the Workforce Diversity Toolkit published in 2019 and offers insights and best practices for cultivating a diverse workplace and fostering a culture ingrained with the values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

This year, Lyft, which operates shared micromobility systems in the largest cities across the US, joins the NABSA conference as presenting sponsor.

“Shared micromobility is in more North American cities than ever before and is broadly contributing to stronger, more resilient transportation networks,” said Caroline Samponaro, VP of Transit, Bike and Scooter Policy at Lyft and member of the NABSA Board of Directors. “The NABSA Conference brings together many of the greatest minds in micromobility to share best practices, solve problems, and collectively chart a path that serves both cities and riders. We at Lyft are proud to support this timely gathering as the Presenting Sponsor and we can’t wait to see you in Hamilton and Toronto!”

The Growing Shared Micromobility: Connecting People & Places Conference will be held Tuesday, September 19 to Thursday, September 21 in Hamilton, Ontario and the evening of Thursday, September 21 to Friday, September 22 in Toronto, Ontario. The conference will feature sessions on topics from electrification to marketing, partnerships to ridership, and so much more. In addition to attending panel sessions, attendees can experience Hamilton and Toronto’s shared micromobility systems and street infrastructure firsthand during a mobile workshop, connect with exhibitors, and network with other professionals from all over the world. More information about the conference agenda, speakers, registration, and more can be found at nabsa.net/2023conference.