Toronto’s Femme-Friendly Bike Fair Welcomes Women to Biking

A free community event brings women together to learn about and practice biking.

Femmes and Friends, founded in 2024 by the Bicycle Mayor of Toronto, Alison Stewart, is a collective of women who enjoy bicycling and sharing that joy with others through social rides. In celebration of International Women’s Day on March 8, Femmes and Friends hosted their second annual Femme Friendly Bike Fair to connect women with and through biking.

Bicycle Mayor of Toronto, Alison Stewart (right)

“The Femme Friendly Bike Fair creates a safe and welcoming space where people can gather without having to worry about judgment, what kind of clothes they’re wearing, or what kind of bike they may ride,” says Stewart. “One of the real raison d’être of having this event is bringing women and non‑traditional cyclists together.”

About 100 people attended this year’s event. It featured partners like 880 Cities, Bike Sauce, Bike Brigade, Bike Share Toronto, Chosen Chain Cycle Club, City of Toronto, Cycle Solutions, Friends for Life Bike Rally, Pedaal, and the Saddle Sisters of High Park. Women learned bike route planning tips, tried various types of bicycles, participated in bike competitions, and learned to ride through beginner-friendly bike sessions, including one with Bike Share Toronto. 

Bike Share Toronto’s session focused on how to use bike share with a mix of information and hands-on bike riding in a controlled environment. Bike Share Toronto also educated participants on its Reduced Fare Pass program for residents of the Toronto Community Housing Corporation. Those living in subsidized housing are eligible for a $5 annual membership, and those living in market-rate rentals are eligible for 20% off the membership fee.

Photos courtesy of Femme & Friends

Regular memberships can now be paid in three installments. Stewart was one of the advocates who pushed for this payment scheme. 

“We found that gig workers rely on pay‑as‑you‑go, which is much more expensive,” says Stewart. “We advocated for Bike Share Toronto to allow people to pay for a membership on a monthly basis as a first step, and now they are allowing people to pay for it in three lump sums.”

Beyond the fair, Femmes and Friends hosts social rides throughout the year to welcome women to cycling. For women who don’t have their own bikes, the group checks out a Toronto Bike Share bike. The social rides begin and end at a bike share station, so women can try docking and undocking the bikes.

“Cycling in Toronto remains predominantly an activity by men,” says Stewart. “But in the past few years, we’ve seen incredible growth of women biking, especially as the city has improved and expanded the cycling network.”

The City of Toronto has a Cycling Network Plan with a rolling three-year near-term implementation program. The current 2025-2027 Near-Term Implementation Program commits to delivering 100 km (62 miles) of new and major upgrade bikeways.

As for bike share, last year, Bike Share Toronto’s ridership increased by 10% with 7.8 million trips compared to 2024, according to its 2025 Business Review and 2026 Annual Operating Plan. The system is expanding its network this year by adding 200 e-bikes and 750 standard bikes. The expansion also comes with 350 new e-bike charging docks and 1,200 solar-powered docking stations.

Stewart is in her final months as Bicycle Mayor of Toronto and is searching for her successor. After which, she will continue her work with Femmes and Friends to bring more women to cycling. Her focus as mayor was to “encourage more women, their friends and people over 40 to discover the practicality, enjoyment and affordability of biking.” Through Femmes and Friends programming and advocacy efforts, she’s done just that.

“I’m excited because I think the bike fair is going to outlive me,” Stewart says. “It’s shown there’s a real demand for it. For me, it’s about supporting and building local community as a way to find joy every day and focus on the positive.”