Imagine enjoying local dining, shopping, exercising, and relaxing without ever having to get behind the wheel of a car. For many people in Mississippi cities, a walkable or bikeable neighborhood like this seems out of reach. However, longtime friends Beth Edmiston and Katie Seymour are trying to change that, starting with the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The friends recently opened Tour de Coast, Mississippi’s first private E-Bike share company.
The idea started on a girls’ trip they took together to Utah. Wanting to see more of the scenery than they could on foot, they looked for a bike rental and came across electric bikes.
“We had the best time,” shared Seymour. It was so fun and a great way to visit more sites in less time. And I thought to myself, why don’t we have this on the MS Gulf Coast? I couldn’t get the idea out of my head. Once I started talking to Beth about it, she shared that she and her husband had thought about doing something similar on college campuses years back. So we finally decided to do it!”
There are various e-bike classes: Classes 1, 2, and 3. These E-bikes have motors that help in pedaling. Tour de Coast will use Class 1 bikes designed to offer assistance in pedaling but won’t exceed 15 mph. The bike will require you to pedal first to activate the motor. In Mississippi, you can ride a class 1 e-bike on the bike lanes and all roads for as long as you’re 14 or older. To ride Tour de Coast electric bikes, you must have an eligible adult to sign a waiver for riders under the age of 18. Tour de Coast will be introducing standard bikes to those 13 years and younger in the future.
There is a step-by-step guide on how it works on the Tour de Coast website. But a rider finds one of the nine hub locations closest to them, downloads the Tour de Coast app, creates an account, and signs the waiver. From there, you scan a QR code on the bike you plan to ride, select a ride pass of your choice, and make a payment. After enjoying your ride, find a Tour de Coast hub station to park the bike and hit end on the app. You don’t have to return it to the same hub you picked it up from, but you cannot park on the sidewalk or any vehicle parking space.
Currently, Tour de Coast is operating in Ocean Springs, and many local businesses have collaborated with them to offer hub locations on their premises. Riders can explore past Ocean Springs and other coastal towns but must return to an Ocean Springs hub location. The Mississippi Gulf Coast has gorgeous beaches, excellent restaurants, entertainment, shopping, and outdoor activities, and many Coastal downtowns have sidewalks making it perfect to explore via bike.
The girls dream of expanding their business up the Mississippi Gulf Coast and beyond.
“For now, we are in Ocean Springs,” shared Seymour. “But the goal is to have hub locations in all of the Coastal Mississippi Communities, connecting us via e-bikes!”
