Program Inception & Growth
GoByBike BC Society (formerly Bike to Work BC Society) was initially formed as the provincial body to secure and share resources to help communities throughout British Columbia deliver successful Bike to Work Week events.
The Bike to Work Week (BTWW) event began in Greater Victoria in 1995 with a core group of commuter cyclists committed to raising the profile of commuter cycling. The first event counted approximately 500 participants.
Over the years the event has expanded to include a “Bike to School” component. Many communities now run a combined “Bike to Work & School Week” event; while others run seperate “Bike to Work Week” and “Bike to School Week” events during the same week. Below is a summary of the event’s growth over the years.
Historically, our organization was focused on commuting to work by bike; hence our original name, Bike to Work BC Society. Then along came Bike to School and our name started to feel too restrictive. After some soul searching, we decided that our core mandate simply involved helping people discover the joy of using their bikes for everyday transportation. So we changed our name to GoByBike BC Society and rebranded as such!
What about Bike to Work Week, you ask? While we’ve changed our provincial organization, we’re still committed to helping communities across BC to put on Bike to Work Week and Bike to School Week events.
Annual Participation Statistics for Bike to Work & School Week:
2019:
- 56,074 Participants
- 7,944 Teams
- 2,969,639 Kilometres were cycled
- 644,005 Kilograms of CO2 were saved from entering the atmosphere
- 89,088,840 Calories were burned
2018:
- 50,374 Participants
- 1,452,358 Kilometres were cycled
- 644,005 Kilograms of CO2 were saved from entering the atmosphere
- 43,566,922 Calories were burned
2017:
- 44,523 Participants
- 27,008 Registered workers
- 17,515 Registered students
- 5,858 Workplace teams
- 1,225,180 Kilometres were cycled
- 240,980 Kilograms of CO2 were saved from entering the atmosphere
- 33,343,145 Calories were burned
Click here to download the 2017 results per community.
In 2016, more than 52 regions/communities across BC participated with the following stats:
- 36,9987 Participants
- 7,798 First-time commuter cyclists
- 3,200+ Workplaces participated
- 1,825,180 Kilometres were cycled
- 324,906 Kilograms of CO2 were saved from entering the atmosphere
- 37,054,982 Calories were burned
- $80,930 In Gas saved
Click here to download the 2016 results per community.
In 2015, more than 47 regions/communities across BC participated with the following stats:
- 34,267 Participants
- 7,660 First-time commuter cyclists
- 3,000+ Workplaces participated
- 1,334,557 Kilometres were cycled
- 289,333 Kilograms of CO2 were saved from entering the atmosphere
- 40,036,739 Calories were burned
- $86,048 In Gas saved
Click here to download the 2015 results per community.
In 2014, 44 regions/communities participated with the following stats:
- 25,000 Participants
- 5,963 First-time commuter cyclists
- 3,000+ Workplaces participated
- 955,110 Kilometres were cycled
- 207,068 Kilograms of CO2 were saved from entering the atmosphere
- 28,653,303 Calories were burned
- $61,747 In Gas saved
The Bike to Work Week program can be shared with and implemented relatively easily with other communities. This has been consistently demonstrated throughout BC.
