Ebike to Work Ownership Program

Program Description

Funded through the Colorado Energy Office’s “Community Access to Electric Bicycles Grant Program,” the Sustainability Division has been awarded $134,200 to create an ownership-based electric bicycle (eBike) program for community members who live and/or work in either the Horizon Drive Business Improvement District (BID) or the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) boundary and earn at or below 80% area median income ($46,050/year or less).

The grant will fund the purchase of 40 ebikes, safety, and security equipment, coordination with a local bicycle retailer, and assistance of a team from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The bike retailer will supply ebikes, safety and security equipment, rider education and safety training, and basic maintenance over the program year. The NREL team developed and operates a trip-tracking application called OpenPATH, which collects detailed trip travel data without any attached personally identifying information (PII). This application will allow the City to collect useful transportation information to understand aspects of the program’s effectiveness while still protecting PII. This will include the effectiveness of ebikes as a primary mode of transportation for program participants, the viability of ebikes as a larger component of the City’s transportation landscape, and the ebikes’ impact on greenhouse gas emissions by avoiding other modes of travel.

Applications

Applications for community members to participate in the program open Tuesday, May 23, and will be handled on a first-come, first-served basis, pending income verification and place of work and/or residence within either the Horizon BID or the DDA.

The local ebike retailer that will provide bikes, equipment, and training will be selected by early June 2023

The program will run for one year post-program launch date and will feature participant surveys at two-, four-, and six-month intervals—one of which will align with a community engagement event. Participants will keep their ebikes indefinitely after the program ends!

Applications open today May 23, 2023, and income verification will be conducted by Housing Resources of Western Colorado. Once applications are received, those who are determined to be qualified will be presented with an ebike on a first come first served basis until all 40 bikes are distributed. 

In addition to applying online using the links below, applications can be picked up, completed, and dropped off at City Hall 250 N. 5^th St. in Community Development, Visit Grand Junction at 740 Horizon Dr., the Horizon Drive Business Improvement District (BID) office at 2764 Compass Dr. (Compass Park Building), the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) office at 101 S. 3^rd St. Ste. 100, and the Western Slope Foodbank of the Rockies at 698 Long Acre Dr. (23 and G Road).

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