Glitchy locker app frustrates Ottawa cyclists

Eric Warren agrees the Ottawa bike lockers are valuable, but he says improving the app that governs access to them should be part of any future expansion of service. Photo by Spencer Colby /POSTMEDIA

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When Hintonburg resident Eric Warren needs to leave his bike downtown, he knows exactly where he wants to park it.

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Instead of locking it to a bike rack on the street, Warren uses one of Ottawa’s secure public bike lockers. He considers himself one of the lucky ones who has been able to navigate the Vélo-Transit app, even if he says the technology behind it still needs to be improved.

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“It just gives you the confidence to be able to leave your bike out,” he said. “It’s a lot more convenient and secure than parking it randomly on the road.”

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The enclosed lockers are meant to do exactly that. A cyclist reserves a locker using the third-party Vélo-Transit app, unlocks it with their phone and leaves their bike inside until they are ready to return. The first two hours are free and every additional hour costs 50 cents.

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The city currently has four locker sites with six individual lockers at each location, allowing up to 24 bicycles to be stored at one time.

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Each locker is about the size of a small shed with narrow, enclosed compartments that cyclists access individually using the app.

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For some cyclists, though, accessing Ottawa’s bike lockers has proven more difficult than it should be. The problem is the app.

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Tag Hatle has wanted to use the city’s bike lockers for more than a year. She downloaded the Vélo-Transit app before planning a ride downtown, but never made it past the payment screen.

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“I’m trying to give them my money,” she said. “I can’t actually get to that part.”

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Hatle said creating an account was simple. The problem occurred when she tried entering her payment information. She said tapping the payment options did nothing.

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She contacted customer support, recorded videos showing the issue and even tried again months later. The same problem remained.

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Despite never getting the app to work, Hatle said she was impressed with how quickly staff responded to her concerns.

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“The customer service is phenomenal,” she said. “They were calling me on a Saturday evening.”

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Still, the technical issues were never resolved.

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“The app itself is unusable for me,” she said.

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Without confidence she could access a locker, Hatle usually leaves her bike at home, fearing it could be stolen, and takes transit downtown.

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A message about an out-of-service locker is displayed as Eric Warren navigates the Velo-Transpo app outside a City of Ottawa bike storage station on Slater Street on Aug. 4. Photo by Spencer Colby /POSTMEDIA

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Ottawa Police Service data showed 1,674 bicycles were reported stolen in 2025, an average of more than four bikes every day. Fewer than 15 per cent of those stolen bicycles were recovered, underscoring why many cyclists are looking for more secure places to park.

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Hatle says that is exactly why she wants to use the lockers, but she worries technical issues will discourage others from doing the same.