E-Bike Voucher Program

PROGRAM UPDATE AS OF 1/02/2024: Applications are currently open to additional applications and residents will be approved on a rolling basis as vouchers become available. As capacity is reached, applicants will be placed on a waitlist with the opportunity to receive a voucher if they become available. Applications will be closed once we approached capacity for claimed vouchers. 

If you have applied and not heard back about your voucher for longer than 2 weeks, please check your spam folder to ensure your notification email was not flagged. If you cannot find any emails regarding your application and would like to verify its status, please reach out to sustain@bloomington.in.gov. 

The City of Bloomington’s Pilot E-bike Voucher Program provides point-of-purchase vouchers of up to $1,000 for Bloomington residents that can be used towards the purchase of an e-bike at local participating bike shops. In order to qualify for a voucher, residents must first register for Go Bloomington and Zero In Bloomington, as well as complete a program application via ESD’s application portal (https://cityofbloomington.smapply.io/).

About the Platforms

Go Bloomington is the City’s platform for alternative mobility options to advance a more sustainable Bloomington by lowering the number of single occupancy vehicles in our community. Residents can find others in the community to carpool with, track alternative transportation commutes, and find optimal routes without using their cars with the platform. Register for Go Bloomington to learn more.

Zero In Bloomington is the City’s climate action platform that provides Bloomington residents with local, customized recommendations to reduce household carbon emissions. By creating a profile, the site suggests high impact emissions reductions actions based on household characteristics, including insights about energy usage compared to an average Bloomington household and tracks individual progress on the site dashboard. Register for Zero In Bloomington to learn more. 

Program Goals 

Bloomington’s e-bike voucher program helps support the City’s goal to reduce resident reliance on single occupancy vehicles in the community, as we strive to decrease on-road vehicle miles traveled (VMT) by 8% of 2018 values (Climate Action Plan, Goal TL1). By shifting to using e-bikes rather than vehicles, residents can help reduce Bloomington’s greenhouse gas emissions from combustion and tailpipe emissions.

In addition to supporting the City’s transportation demand management and sustainability goals, the e-bike voucher program carries a number of resident-based co-benefits: 

• Improve quality of life 
• Increase transportation equity 
• Increase physical activity 
• Increase diversification of the cycling community
• Decreased traffic congestion 
• Reduced number of vehicle accidents 

 

Eligibility 

Applicant Eligibility 

• Live inside Bloomington city limits (verify using bloomington.in.gov/mybloomington)
• Registered for Zero In Bloomington 
• Registered for Go Bloomington
• Applicants under 18 that are approved to receive a voucher will be required to have a parent or guardian complete any financial forms 

 

Eligible Uses 

• Voucher can only be used for the purchase of a Class I, II, or III e-bike or electric cargo bike at the following participating bike shops:
  • Revolution Bike and Bean: 401 E 10th St, Bloomington, IN 47408
  • Bicycle Garage, Inc.: 507 E Kirkwood Ave, Bloomington, IN 47408
• PLEASE NOTE: Previously purchased e-bike are not eligible for vouchers
• Vouchers are limited to one per person

 

Incentives

All eligible applicants qualify to receive a $500 voucher for e-bikes at qualifying bike shops. After applying and being approved, applicants will receive a voucher that can be used directly at point of purchase at participating bike shops. Applications will be assessed on a first-come, first-serve basis.  

Of the total allocated vouchers, 50% of the funding ($15,000) will be utilized to support vouchers for low income populations. This allows for 15 vouchers for low income populations, and 30 vouchers for the general population for the pilot year. 

Residents who meet the low-income criteria (see below) qualify for higher vouchers worth $1,000. In order to demonstrate low-income eligibility, the City will rely on a combination of self-attestation and categorical eligibility, in order to eliminate the need for verifying and maintaining resident’s financial records. As such, applicants will be asked to provide the following at the time of applying if they wish to receive the increased voucher amount:

 

1. Self-Attestation Form: Applicants will need to read and sign a self-attestation form, indicating a good faith attestment that they fall within the low-income thresholds
2. Demonstration of Categorical Eligibility: Applicants are required to provide proof that they fall below the low-income threshold by providing one of the following forms of documentation: 
   • Proof of Enrollment in BHA’s Rental Assistance Demonstration Program
   • Proof of Enrollment in SNAP 
   • Proof of Enrollment in LIHEAP
   • Proof of Enrollment in Bloomington’s Workforce Rental Housing Program

 

Low Income Criteria: 

• Have a household income of 80% of the local area median income or less. 
• Have a household income of 60% of the state median income or less. 

 

Claiming Vouchers 

Once applicants have received an email verifying that they have been approved for a voucher, you will be asked to complete a W9 form for the City. Once this is complete, you will be provided with next steps on picking up your voucher. Vouchers must be redeemed within 60 days of receiving them (date to be listed on the voucher), otherwise they will expire and may be reallocated to another applicant. Vouchers will be used at point of purchase, and recipients must show a drivers license or other form of identification to demonstrate that they are the approved recipient. Additionally, at time of voucher use, recipients and bike shops will sign a Voucher Sign-Off form as an indication that the voucher has been used. This will then be provided to the City as proof of purchase and voucher use. ALL E-BIKE PURCHASES MADE WITH THE VOUCHER ARE FINAL SALE. 

 

Additional Voucher Information

Since it is not possible to determine the interest level for the E-Bike Voucher Program until the program is launched, the program will be managed as follows:

• Vouchers are provided on a first come first serve basis only.
• No additional vouchers will be provided once the allotted vouchers have been given for a program year. 
• This program will be evaluated on an annual basis to determine if additional funding is necessary to meet demand for vouchers.

 

FAQs

Does the voucher make the e-bike free? 

No, the e-bike voucher is intended to help offset some of the cost of the e-bike to lower the upfront investment. Participants in the voucher program will need to make an investment in the e-bike they are purchasing. We encourage interested residents to visit the bike shops or their websites before applying for a voucher to get a better idea of the investment required. Depending on your income and the model you choose, a minimum investment of $700 will be needed based on the models currently offered. 

Why are e-bikes so expensive? Can the vouchers be used on cheaper models online? 

The e-bike vouchers will only be accepted at the partnered bike shops for the models that are currently offered. While these models do require an up front investment, they are of high quality and represent a reliable and safe option for Bloomington residents. The e-bikes currently offered by the bike shops provide: 

• Safety: Cheaper e-bike models have raised significant concern for causing battery fires due to their lack of sophistication and quality of manufacturing. 
• Reliability: With intentional maintenance, a quality e-bike can last up to 10 years or longer. Cheaper models pose issues for maintenance and face more issues in the long term, often shortening their lifespan and requiring further investment in the future. 
• Operations & Maintenance: High quality e-bikes come with warranties and guarantees from both the manufacturer and the local bike shops that cheaper models do not, ensuring you are covered in the case of equipment failure. These models also have higher availability of parts and general ease of repairability compared to cheaper online models. These issues contribute to the reliability and longevity of the bike. 
• Sustainability: With the overall purpose of the program being to uplift sustainable transportation, it is important to consider the impact of the bike. Higher quality models are more efficient electrically, as well as ensure that the lifetime of the equipment is worth the impact of manufacturing it. Because cheaper models are more inclined to be retired in a shorter amount of time, they risk creating additional waste impacts. 

Lastly, the cost of e-bikes, as with all new technology, will continue to go down in the future as investment is made to manufacture them more efficiently.

Why is the City focusing specifically on e-bikes? 

While non-electric bikes are just as valuable as an alternative mode of transportation, the City has focused on e-bikes for this program due to their increased ability to offset reliance on typical modes of transportation, their accessibility, and the financial investment that is necessary to purchase them. Because e-bikes allow users to travel further distances faster and with less physical exertion, they represent a real opportunity to shift from one's priority mode of transportation as often as possible. Individuals that are less physically inclined, older, or struggle with health concerns like asthma may not view traditional biking as a comfortable and feasible alternative. Additionally, because e-bikes are often 2-3x the price of a traditional bike, there is a greater need to help offset the financial burden for expanding access.