Volunteer cyclists help community during the pandemic

Bicycles can pretty much do anything. So, it’s no surprise that during the pandemic in Toronto, when a community support group decided to lend a hand to those in need with errands, deliveries, and other tasks made overwhelmingly challenging overnight, the bicycle was the best assistant going. And the Toronto Bicycle Brigade was born. 

All of the closures, limitations and public health measures impacted the city’s most vulnerable first and hardest. Even getting medicines, food and essential daily items was a challenge. 
 
“With this in mind, our friend and organizer Dave made the first call-out to the Toronto cycling community to see if anyone would be interested in helping — and the answer was an overwhelming yes,” says Darlene Paguandas, a spokesperson for Bike Brigade. 
 
“In the first few weeks, hundreds of people on bikes signed up to partner with mutual aid organizations to deliver items that folks could no longer pick up in person.  People on bikes rode on behalf of local food programs, food banks, mutual aid initiatives and at-home chefs to safely deliver food.”
 
The Toronto Bike Brigade has the mandate to pair volunteer cyclists with community organizations that serve isolated, vulnerable people, seniors and health care providers to deliver supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Bike Brigade offers free delivery service for organizations and individuals in need.
 
According to Paguandas, the group has recently learned of a similar group called the Relief Riders in Indian, and have been inspired by their work and similar goals. 
 
“The Relief riders have popped up in multiple cities in India — a goal that the Brigade would truly like to follow!” she says. “We’ve also heard about volunteers on bikes organizing in Seattle & Budapest with similar goals. We love being part of a global group of folks using the bicycle as a way to reach communities near and far.”

Now, more than a year-and-a-half into the COVID-19 pandemic, phew, the Bike Brigade has a 1,000-strong volunteer list. Each day, a team of volunteers dispatches errands to the cyclists about town. It could be a team that picks up hot meals for a group ride to a drop-off destination, or a solo ride to deliver to individuals. 

For example, about 60 of the Bike Brigade deliver produce boxes for Toronto non-profit Food Share.

“For many, their day may also include some last-minute asks from the team to fit in a new delivery here and there. For this, we have a Rapid Response Team of riders who are flexible and can be on the road quickly, if and when needed,” Paguandas says. 

Using bicycles, instead of other vehicles, was a no-brainer. The move keeps another car off the road, for starters. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Wang says the group has reduced almost seven tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions by replacing delivery vehicles with bikes. 
 
“If you know how congested Toronto can get — considering traffic and parking — you can certainly appreciate that delivering by bike means that we can usually get to our destinations faster,” she says. “We’ve been known to show up in 30 minutes or less for a last-minute delivery across the city.”
 
Of course, things don’t always go as planned. Riders often encounter technical difficulties such as flat tires and other malfunctions. But, as Paguandas explains, even when issues come up, volunteers prioritize deliveries, often using a bike share bike, borrowing a bike or calling another Brigade rider to assist, then dealing with the repair work later. 
 
Some of the best bike shops in Toronto have helped support the Bike Brigade with repair work. 
 
Over the past year and counting, the Bike Brigade has grown from a small core group to a large organization relying on the work of a massive team of volunteers.  
 
“While the Bike Brigade was founded by a few individuals, it quickly grew larger and larger into a group of coordinating volunteers.  Managing partner relationships, delivery logistics, bikes, volunteers, highly sensitive information about recipients, social media, etc., requires a team working together to make decisions and get things done,” Paguandas says. 
 
“We rely on collective action and community solidarity to keep this bicycle-powered organization effective for our communities.”