The City of Portland is on track to launch an electric bike subsidy program later this summer. It’s been nearly one year since BikePortland last checked in on the program, so I connected with city staff and heard a minor update this week.
To refresh your memory, the e-bike rebate program passed as part of the Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund’s (PCEF) Capital Investment Plan in June 2024. The plan is to use $20 million from that fund (which comes from a tax on large corporations) to support an estimated 6,000 new e-bike purchases over the next five years. In addition to helping Portlanders afford these new vehicles, the program will train mechanics and launch a program for e-bike parking and storage at multi-family apartment buildings.
According to Program Manager Seetha Ream-Rao, the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability (BPS) has completed a competitive bid process for the vendor organization that will ultimately run the program. BPS is now working to get that vendor fully under contract. (They haven’t shared the name of the vendor, but I’ve asked and will update this post if/when I hear back.)
“It’s looking like we will have a soft launch of the e-bike program late summer/early fall and will do a full rollout early next year,” Ream-Rao shared with BikePortland Thursday. She also said that in the next several weeks BPS will be able to share more details about the program framework, eligibility requirements, and how the rebate process will work.
In related e-bike ownership news…
There’s also a statewide e-bike rebate program in the works in the form of House Bill 2963. As BikePortland reported late last month, its chief sponsor, Milwaukie-area House Rep. Mark Gamba, is likely going to add it to the larger transportation funding package currently being debated by lawmakers. If passed, the bill would set aside $5 million for Oregonians who receive government food assistance and make them eligible for a $1,200 e-bike purchase rebate.
This Saturday, The Street Trust will give 25 east Portland residents a brand new e-bike of their own. The bikes are delivered through TST’s Ride2Own program (also funded by PCEF). An event at Portland Community College SE Campus will feature TST Executive Director Sarah Iannarone, Rep. Gamba, and Nick Wood from Portland-based Vvolt Electric Mobility.