UFV’s popular Trishaw Rides program gets new wheels 

CHILLIWACK – A new trishaw imported from Denmark will be more accessible for passengers and even comes with a folding roof. 

The University of the Fraser Valley says it provides a more comfortable way to connect riders like seniors to the outdoors and their community. 

UFV says the new set of wheels was made possible by funding from the Sienna for Seniors Foundation and the Chilliwack Foundation 

The new Triobike Taxi CL trishaw features pedal assist, improved accessibility and protection from the elements. 

With an expected lifespan of more than a decade, the trishaw will support thousands of rides over its lifetime. 

UFV Trishaw Rides is part of the global Cycling Without Age movement, a non-profit initiative founded in Denmark in 2012 that now operates in more than 50 countries. 

The program is based at the UFV Canada Education Park (CEP) campus in Chilliwack, with direct access to the Vedder River Rotary Trail.

In a news release, Shelley Canning, a professor of nursing and director of UFV’s Centre for Education and Research on Aging, says seniors often become less visible as limited mobility makes it more difficult to leave home. 

“For some of them, it’s this idea of being important again, and having people truly see them and see them in a way that’s quite positive,” she said.  

Certainly passengers Marilyn Hornell and Dianna Stubling appreciate being able to get out. 

“We just love it,” says Marilyn.  “We love to put smiles on people’s faces, and we enjoy it probably way more than they do, because we’re getting a free ride.” 

Diana agrees.  “Why not get out there and have an hour or two in the sunshine, seeing people, the water and the trees?”  

For more information you can go to the program’s website and read more here. 

(Image Credit: UFV Trishaw Rides)