California Quietly Kills Electric Bike Vouchers, Sending Money to EV Incentives Instead | KQED

“I think that’s really unfortunate that we’re responding to the current federal situation by limiting Californians’ ability to get really the cheapest and most economical, sustainable transportation option, instead of sort of doubling down and saying, ‘We have this really low-cost option that opens trips up for more people, and then we also have this other option for people who need cars,’” Ramsey said.

CARB’s e-bike program, created by a bill passed in 2022, faced difficulties getting off the ground. It wasn’t until 2024 that the agency began issuing $1,750 vouchers for a range of approved bikes to people whose annual household income fell under 300% of the federal poverty line. An additional $250 was available to applicants who met further income criteria.

The program was designed to expand access to an affordable transportation model, especially for non-drivers and people with limited mobility.

While it was heralded initially as an ambitious, and significant, step toward clean transportation, it also invited widespread criticism after a slow rollout, multiple pushed-back application timelines and two state investigations into Pedal Ahead, the nonprofit chosen to administer the vouchers.

Applicants also expressed frustration over technical issues with the application process once it got underway.

While the state’s electric vehicle incentive program has a rolling application process, the e-bike voucher program, by contrast, requires people to log onto the website at a prescribed time, click the application portal at just the right moment and enter their information under a time crunch.

“I found it a little bit surprising that the same entity would have two similar voucher programs run completely different ways … when they had an existing program that was already working, that was distributing a large amount of money as well,” Ramsey said.