Didn’t win the Washington State e-bike rebate lottery yet? If you live in Bellevue, Issaquah or Redmond, you have another more generous opportunity to score some financial help when buying a new e-bike. People 16 or older can apply from June 15 to 29 (fill out this interest form if you want to be notified). Recipients will be randomly selected.
The Pedal Forward Eastside program will offer a $500 instant rebate for residents of any income level or a $2,000 rebate for people in households below 80% of area median income. Because Eastside incomes tend to be high, 80% of AMI is $85,000 for a one-person household or $110,000 for a three-person household. The majority of the program’s funding is reserved for income-qualified rebates. These amounts are higher than the $300 and $1,200 rebates offered by the state’s program.
The program is part of the three-city Eastside Climate Partnership using grant funding from Puget Sound Energy. So you can transform some of that dirty fossil fuel money into an e-bike that reduces car trips and increases happiness.
The cities administer the program and are contracting with APTIM, the same firm that is running the statewide e-bike rebate program. So in addition to funding e-bike rebates across the state, WSDOT’s WE-Bike program investment has also made it easier for other communities to stand up their own e-bike rebate programs. A complicated system is required to ensure rebates go to qualified residents and are made on qualified purchases at qualified local shops (online purchases are not covered). The rebates are also issued at the register rather than through a tax refund, making it much easier on households with tight budgets.
People from all three cities are invited to a Try and Apply event from 6–8 p.m. June 18 at North Bellevue Community Center to try some qualified bikes and apply for the rebate in-person.
Washington residents who are not in these three Eastside cities can still apply for the WSDOT rebate program, which is doling out rebates monthly via lottery throughout the year.