Denver’s wildly successful incentive program isn’t just helping residents buy greener rides — it’s building an army of bike lane advocates.
By David Zipper, Bloomberg
So much for Mile High City. Denver residents are embracing a new moniker: E-bike City.
In April 2022, the city began offering residents $400 off a new electric bike or $900 off an e-cargo bike, with low-income residents eligible for an additional $800 discount. The program was a sensation: Over 4,700 Denverites snapped up a voucher in 2022, forcing overwhelmed city staff to pause the application process. The rebates’ value dropped in 2023, but the city’s newest batch of 860 vouchers, distributed in January, were still snapped up in about 20 minutes.
Mayor Michael Hancock took a victory lap in a press release last month that credited the new e-bikes for already replacing over 100,000 car miles: “This program showed there was a desire in our community for new, sustainable mobility options.”
Beyond reducing emissions, all that e-biking likely improved residents’ health, too — provided, of course, that riders don’t get struck by a motor vehicle. Like many US cities, biking in Denver traffic can be uncomfortable and sometimes perilous. Last December two people were killed while biking there.
In fact, Denver’s need for better bike infrastructure points to a hidden power of e-bike incentives. Thanks to the rebates, many residents will get their first taste of the joys and anxieties of navigating their city on two wheels. That experience could compel them to add their voice to those already clamoring for better bike accommodations.