Local student’s e-bike rack pitch for GRT becomes reality
Trent Otterbein has helped increase first- and last-mile options for customers riding with Grand River Transit.
Otterbein was part of an Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship Challenge to come up with ways GRT could accommodate e-bikes on bus racks. The current bus racks couldn’t support the extra weight of an e-bike.
The event was put together by GRT, Waterloo Region District School Board and the Business and Education Partnership of Waterloo Region and offered to local students as part of the Specialist High Skills Major program that helps high school students learn job-specific skills.
“Everyone else was thinking of these big ideas, but I thought, go back to basics,” said Otterbein.
“After seeing GRT’s existing bus bike rack during the day, I knew which brand to look for, and it turned out the company had a new rack that could fit e-bikes. After that, we came up with a rough cost for the job, and found that swapping them out would be a fairly quick and easy process.”
Otterbein and his group won the challenge with their costed-out proposal, and the idea was shared with GRT’s decision makers.
“I was blown away by the proposal the students gave us that day,” said Kevan Marshall, Project Manager, Climate and Energy Transition.
“I brought it back to our fleet team immediately, and they said we could make a trial happen.”
GRT moved ahead with installing the new racks as a pilot project on ION buses this spring.
“All the students had a great time during the visit to GRT, and to see the new racks on the bus after that presentation is amazing,” said April Albano, Executive Director of BEPWR.
“Students in the Region are full of good ideas.”
Otterbein has now started a career as an automotive mechanic, and enjoys seeing the new racks around the Region.
“It feels pretty cool to have a little idea I came up with on a group project turn into a real thing,” said Otterbein.
“I’ll be keeping an eye out for them.”