Purchasing an EBike for guests to use.

[Michael2523]

We have been operating a small Airbnb (250 sq. ft. in a detached, converted garage) for a year. One challenge for our guests without a car is that it takes a while to walk to amenities, though the bus service is frequent and nearby. Has anyone ever considered purchasing an ebike for their guests? In Canada, you can purchase one with a range of 40 to 70 km for about $2000. Insurance issues aside (every jurisdiction is different), what are some of the issues that arise in buying a bike for guest use? (We would probably take a spin on it once in a while as well 🙂

Michael Bernard

North Vancouver, Canada

[Anonymous]

@Michael2523   From the guest perspective it sounds like a nice perk; even those with cars might enjoy the chance to explore the area by bike.

But from the host perspective there are a lot of concerns. My first one would be how liability works if a guest gets into an accident and is injured or killed while riding a bike that was technically an inclusive feature of your listing. Another one would be how you'd deal with compensation if the bike is stolen while the guest is out with it (pretty sure the Host Guarantee doesn't cover that). And if the bike doesn't happen to be available or usable for a guest who'd booked with the expectation that they'd depend on it, does that count as a missing amenity/travel issue?

I think if I were in your position I'd rather refer the guests to a bike-rental company rather than supply them with a $2000 piece of equipment with high safety risks when not used carefully. But if a host offered me an ebike while traveling, I'd be thrilled.

[Michael2523]

Hi Andrew,

Some excellent points. We now have in our listing a reference to a local shop that rents electric bikes (about 2.5 km away) for what I consider reasonable rates--one 24 hour day for $CA50, four days for $CA160. We have several kilometres of mountain biking trails above our cottage considered excellent but not sure if electric bikes are permitted. I suppose one could offer electric bikes as an add-on feature so that there wasn't the assumption it automatically came with the reservation.  We could also offer a subsidy on the bikes (may work a deal with the electric bike shop) The only reason we would consider it is because for some guests who don't rent cars, our location has drawbacks. We have tried to overcome those drawbacks by offering a free lift at the beginning of the guest' s stay. Anyway, thanks very much for your thoughtful response.

Regards,

Michael

[Anonymous]

@Michael2523  Thank you for bringing up an interesting topic! It's clear that you care a lot about making sure your guests have a nice stay. I'm a non-driver myself, so reliable public transport links and walkability are always my top priorities when choosing a location.  I do my own research but appreciate when listings include information about walking times to important amenities, and disclose any limits to the public transit access (for example, if your bus line only operates during certain hours). I'd find a bike to be a nice option to have once I arrive - at least if the weather isn't too rough - but it wouldn't be the factor that makes me choose a less centrally located neighborhood. 

[Michael2523]

Hi again Andrew,

One factor that comes into play is that  Vancouver is one of Canada's rainier cities, with a total of about 1,300 mm a year (compared to 620 mm for Berlin.) Usually it rains more days than not, anywhere from 140 to almost 200 days a year. The good news it that it doesn't snow that frequently here at sea level, with only one in 20 Christmases being white, or run below freezing temperatures very often.

I think we will take up your suggestion (and one from Sarah in Mexico) to ask the local ebike company (which also rents regular bikes) to offer an incentive. To promote the cause, we might even spent the insignificant five minutes to drive the guest to the bike store:)

[Sarah977]

@Michael2523  Maybe your local bike rental shop would be interested in offering something like a $5 off coupon to your guests if they knew it would send a lot of business their way. It would be a nice perk for your guests to have coupons like that in the unit that they could avail themselves of if they like.

[Michael2523]

Thanks Sarah,

Thanks for the suggestion. Was thinking this morning about the idea you raise, which would be less worrying than taking on the liability risk/emotional concern of having a guest get hurt on the roads.  Also might be possible for us to offer a matching discount as yet further encouragement for guests to go green. I've just begun to notice a dramatic increase in ebikes on local roads. Renters in British Columbia, Canada, don't require a specific licence to rent or operate ebikes here.

[Kc47]

Im actually going to start renting bikes via the BnSellit app. search online and theres some videos how to do this

[Pamela1347]

Are you renting your bikes through BnSellit? Is there forms, waivers, etc.? Thank you for your time.

[Mark4506]

And now that you can get a used ebike for $500 or so, it’s a genius idea imo

[Scott57]

We provide two non e-bikes to guests. We indicate to them that if they use the bikes, they are expected to use helmets, lock them up and keep them within sight even if they are locked up - I think Portland is the bike-theft capital of the world.

We have not had any issues so far. Most guests do not use them. The bikes are nice (Fuji multi-speed), but not super expensive. I bought one used from a local bike shop for $200 and the other was $300 new (on Black Friday sale). 

I would not want to have an e-bike since some people do not know how to use them and they tend to be expensive.