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.