If you buy an electric bike, you could be eligible for a rebate in Massachusetts
BOSTON - A proposal under consideration on Beacon Hill would provide hundreds of dollars in rebates for people who buy electric bikes.
They are referred to as e-bikes and they are touted as a way to ease traffic congestion and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but they are pricey, ranging between $1,000 and $5,000.
In an effort to make them more accessible, last fall lawmakers approved a million dollars for the Department of Energy Resources to establish a rebate program for e-bike purchases.
But according to the Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition, we are still waiting for the Healey administration to sign off on the program. Millions more in funding would then be needed to offer up to $750 in rebates to qualified buyers.
The executive director of Mass Bike, Galen Mook, says increasing the availability of e-bikes could have a significant impact on rush-hour congestion.
"We say that you can take a normal bike about five miles in a half hour. We think a half hour bike ride, that's a reasonable commute," he told WBZ-TV. "If you take an e-bike, you can expand that two-fold, so your half-an-hour ride becomes ten miles," Mook said.
We could know more about the program in the coming weeks when the Healey administration announces its Capital Improvement Plan.
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