City of Boulder offers e bike vouchers to income qualified city residents

This September, the City of Boulder is offering a limited number of vouchers for income-qualified city residents to pay for part of the cost of a new electric bicycle (e-bike). Through these incentives, the city seeks to expand access to e-bikes, encourage more sustainable ways of travel, and continue to better understand the role e-bikes play in advancing Boulder's climateand transportationgoals.

The registration portal will be open from Monday, Sept. 16 at 9 a.m. through Monday, Sept. 30 at 11 a.m. and will be available on the program webpage. To qualify, participants need to be at or below 80% of the area median income for Boulder County. Participants will receive an email by Sept. 30 at 5 p.m. from [email protected], the city's contractor, confirming ifthey were randomly selected, waitlisted or will not receive a voucher during this round, along with next steps. Selected participants will have 96 hours to submit proof of city residence and income. If approved, they will receive a voucher and have 45 days to spend it.

Voucher amounts vary by e-bike type and income qualification. The 2024 vouchers provide larger discounts for the upfront cost of e-bikes, offering up to $2,100 for regular e-bikes and $2,700 for e-cargo bikes and adaptive e-bikes. To encourage safe, frequent use of new e-bikes, the city will also provide recipients with a $200 Starter Kit voucher to purchase bike equipment such as helmets, child seats and bike locks.

"We have seen a clear community need to offer targeted assistance for those who may find it difficult to purchase an e-bike without a discount," shared Climate Initiatives Director Jonathan Koehn. "This program is one way we prioritize income equity as part of our climate actions, while also helping to improve air quality and community health through reduced vehicle pollution."

Transportation and Mobility Interim Director Valerie Watson added, "We hope to better meet the individual transportation needs of our community with sustainable, convenient travel options, including by supporting community members making first- and last-mile connections to and from their destination."

To support local businesses, vouchers will only be accepted at participating bike shops in Boulder County and are not valid for online purchases. A list of bike shops will be published on the city's webpage in the coming weeks. E-bike incentives are funded by the city's Climate Taxand supported by a partnership with local nonprofit Community Cycles.

Visit the program webpageto learn more, access the media kit and sign up for updates on the E-bike Alerts email list.