Matt Damon is hoping Robin Williams may one day be immortalized in Boston.

While Damon, 53, and his costar Casey Affleck, 48, spoke with journalist Jake Hamilton in footage shared on YouTube recently about their new movie The Instigators, the actor noted that he recently learned of an artist’s pitch to place a bronze statue of the late Williams, who died at 63 in August 2014, in Boston’s Public Garden.

“I don’t know if it will happen, but I really hope it does. Someone proposed to us an artist to do a bronze statue of Robin and permanently put it there, and the idea being that if you feel alone you can go sit next to him, which I think is the coolest idea,” Damon said.

The proposed statue would stand next to a bench in the city’s park where Damon and Williams filmed one of the most poignant scenes in 1997’s Good Will Hunting, which earned Williams an Academy Award for his performance as psychologist Sean Maguire. The movie also helped launch Damon and Ben Affleck’s careers and resulted in the duo winning an Oscar for writing the movie’s screenplay.

“It would be the most beautiful installation and such a tribute to that guy, who I think would have loved that,” Damon said of the proposed plans. “Anyway, I just heard about this like a month ago. I really hope it comes to pass, I hope they let this artist do it because it would be pretty cool.”

As Boston.com reported at the time of Williams’ death in 2014, fans of the film and the late actor turned the unmarked bench from that Good Will Hunting scene into a makeshift memorial after he died. A petition to create a bronze statue of Williams at that site was made in 2014 and remains active today, though it is unclear whether it is the same pitch Damon referred to in his interview.

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More than 26 years after that movie was released, Damon still remembers working with Williams fondly, as he told Hamilton in that interview.

“Robin was off-book in pre-production, which was nuts, because that monologue was like two pages long, and I don’t say anything in that scene — just at the very top — and then he goes into that thing,” he recalled of filming the moment. “I remember rehearsing it with him and I was off book because we wrote it, but he just put his script down. . . and Ben and I kind of looked at each other like, ‘This is going to be amazing.’ “

Damon and Affleck’s new movie The Instigators releases on Apple TV+ on Friday, Aug. 9.

Owning and riding an electric bike through the streets of Boston may soon become a reality for more residents, thanks to a new initiative the city announced on Monday. 

The pilot initiative will provide discount vouchers to eligible residents who want to purchase an e-bike for personal use. 

In a press release, the city said the goal is to address historic inequities in transportation access, accelerate the mode shift to sustainable transportation, and improve residents’ mobility options. 

The city will provide about 1,000 vouchers, ranging from $800 to $2,400, to help reduce the cost of purchasing an e-bike. 

Each recipient will also receive $150 toward bicycle safety equipment. 

The first round of applications for residents opened on Monday. 

“Boston is a city always on the move, and we want to ensure that all of our residents have transportation options that are convenient, affordable, and sustainable for their individual needs,” said Mayor Michelle Wu in a statement. “This e-bike voucher program will help reduce emissions and expand transportation options for traditionally vulnerable residents.”

Here is what you need to qualify for the program.

The Boston resident must be over 18 years of age and fit one of the criteria:

• Income-eligible adults at or below 40% AMI
• Seniors over 60 years of age 
• Adult with a chronic or permanent disability 

Qualified applicants will be randomly selected to receive a voucher that can be used within 90 days in person at one of the participating bike shops. 

The pilot program is funded by $1.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding. 

E-bikes eligible for the program discount have a safety-certified rechargeable battery and pedal assist, which provides a more effortless riding experience. 

Cargo e-bikes can also be purchased through the program and have additional storage and passenger-carrying capacity. 

The program will also help purchase powered handcycle wheelchair attachments and adaptive e-bikes that can be modified to meet the needs of individuals with chronic disabilities. 

The application process for adults with permanent disabilities interested in powered handcycle wheelchair attachments or adaptive e-bikes runs from Aug. 5 to Sept. 5. All other eligible groups can apply between Aug. 12 and Aug. 24. 

The city will hold another application round in spring 2025. 

For more information on how to apply and program details, visit boston.gov/ebikes.

Increasing access to bike-share program

That’s not all. 

Boston is also launching a new campaign to encourage residents to apply for free or discounted memberships to the bike-share program Bluebikes. 

Dubbed “Get Your Pass in Gear,” the new program provides a $5 annual membership for income-eligible Boston residents and a $60 annual membership for Boston residents new to the Bluebikes system. 

Boston residents who have not had an annual Bluebikes membership in the last three years are eligible for the $60-a-year membership, which is $129 less than the regular rate. 

Those who qualify for MassHealth, SNAP, or meet income guidelines can get an even more reduced rate at $5 per year, compared to the regular income-eligible rate of $50 per year. 

Any Boston resident 16 years or older who meets income guidelines is eligible for the $5 annual pass, whether or not they have had a Bluebikes annual membership in the past. 

“Bluebikes is an important part of our public transit system that provides reliable, affordable biking options for riders of all levels,” said Jascha Franklin-Hodge, chief of streets, in a statement. 

To learn more about the Boston Bikes Pass, visit boston.gov/bluebikes.