In a city full of tough problems and even tougher solutions, Denver's e-bike rebate program has been a definite win. While it can't solve the climate crisis on its own, city officials, mobility data analysts and new e-bike riders all say the program is having a real impact on reducing car travel in the city.
According to Emily Gedeon, director of Communications and Engagement for Denver's department of Climate Action, Sustainability & Resiliency (CASR), the program has put 5,974 e-bikes on the streets...and counting.
"Based on results from a survey conducted last year, the average e-bike voucher redeemer replaced 3.4 car trips and traveled 21.6 miles weekly," says Gedeon. "Income-qualified residents made more trips per week....and replaced over 40 percent more miles of car trips each week. According to a 2022 report, e-bikes from Denver’s program displace 4.1 million vehicle miles, eliminate 1,447 tons of greenhouse gas emissions every year and save Denver residents $1 million in fuel and maintenance costs."
Speaking at a CASR-hosted rally for new e-bike riders at Sculpture Park on June 10, Grace Rink, the chief climate officer for the City and County of Denver and executive director of CASR, said e-bike riders are "collectively...replacing over 100,000 car miles per week."
Rink added that other cities throughout the country have begun creating e-bike rebate programs because of the success of Denver's. "We have received calls from over fifty cities that want to do the exact same thing," she said. "We truly are creating a transportation revolution."
It's definitely spreading around the state. The Colorado Energy Office recently announced a statewide e-bike rebate program that will launch in August; it will offer $500 vouchers and $1,100 vouchers to income-qualified individuals.
And Boulder just announced its own e-bike rebate program. Beginning at 9 a.m. on July 6, Boulder residents can apply for $300 regular e-bike vouchers or $500 e-cargo bike vouchers, with $1,200 and $1,400 income-qualified vouchers. Two hundred vouchers total are available in the first application round; round two will start in September.
History shows that those 200 vouchers will be gone fast. Denver first announced its program on April 22, 2022. By May 11, CASR had to stop accepting voucher applications because it had already received 3,250.
Denver has had several more rounds of rebates since then, including three so far this year. Each time, the available vouchers have been snatched up within minutes. The last round took place on May 30; applications opened at 11 a.m. and were gone by 11:06.
Denver resident Margot Ryan put in her application the moment a Denver rebate round started on January 31. "My husband and I each had alarms," she recalls.
"The rebate was a significant factor for us," says Ryan. "I don't know that we would necessarily have [gotten] an e-bike without the rebate."
Her voucher arrived in early February, and she got her e-bike soon after. She has used it to replace many car trips — including "all kinds of errands," and even taking her kids to school. Ryan and her family live in Baker, but her son plays rugby at North High School and practices there at 5 p.m. on weekdays. "Trying to get from Baker to North at 5 p.m. is horrible [by car]. It's deadly," says Ryan. "It actually takes us the same amount of time [to e-bike], but it's a really lovely trip."
According to an e-bike program analysis released on March 7, "29 percent of Denver e-bike redeemers who completed the program survey indicated they were new to riding." That analysis/survey was done by Ride Report, a company that collects bike and e-bike mobility data, as well as the City of Denver and a few other organizations.
Denver's standard e-bike rebate program offers a $300 voucher and $500 voucher for regular e-bikes and cargo e-bikes, respectively; income-qualified rebates go up to $1,200 and $1,400. When the program was launched, standard rebates were $400, with a $500 bonus for those looking to get an e-cargo bike.
CASR's Gedeon notes that $5.6 million has been spent on the rebate program so far — with that money coming from the city's Climate Protection Fund. The CPF raises $40 million annually from a .25 percent sales tax passed in Denver in 2020.
This morning, Denver's Department of Transportation and Infrastructure will host a breakfast station in front of the Denver and City County Building to commemorate Bike to Work Day; Mayor Michael Hancock will be on hand, riding around on an e-bike. The event will also celebrate the city's construction of 140 miles of new bike lanes since 2018 — for a total of 436 miles of bikeways throughout the city.
Says DOTI Marketing and Communications Specialist Vanessa Lacayo: "The timing as we continue to accelerate/prioritize building out our bike network aligns well with the rebates [by] carving out dedicated space on the street for people that want to ride and supporting the use of bikes and e-bikes as a viable mode of transportation, and not just for recreation.
"The goal is to increase safety for all, reduce transportation pollution by making cycling an easier and more comfortable option, and to minimize conflicts with people in cars," Lacayo concludes.
Says DOTI Marketing and Communications Specialist Vanessa Lacayo: "The timing as we continue to accelerate/prioritize building out our bike network aligns well with the rebates [by] carving out dedicated space on the street for people that want to ride and supporting the use of bikes and e-bikes as a viable mode of transportation, and not just for recreation.
"The goal is to increase safety for all, reduce transportation pollution by making cycling an easier and more comfortable option, and to minimize conflicts with people in cars," Lacayo concludes.
The next round of Denver e-bike rebates will be released on July 25.
