The latest win for alternative transit was just announced in Atlanta — a joint rebate program between the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC), the City of Atlanta, and Propel ATL to help residents buy their own electric bicycle (e-bike).

The program is aimed at low and moderate income Atlanta residents. It doesn’t have a specific launch date, but is said to be launching in Spring 2024.

“Income qualified residents are eligible to receive a $1,500 rebate for a standard e-bike and $2,000 for a cargo e-bike. Rebates for other residents are $500 for a standard e-bike and $1,000 for a cargo e-bike” according to the ARC website. With an average price of around $2,000, the rebate is significant. 

The program is expected to bring anywhere from 800 to 1000 new e-bikes to the streets of Atlanta. The website lists various economic, environmental and health benefits and makes the case for e-bikes, especially for trips less than 10 miles: “over 75 percent of trips in the US are under ten miles, with 60 percent being less than six miles,” according to the ARC.

“E-bikes are truly a game-changer, giving people access to an affordable transportation option for short trips that would otherwise require a car,” said Anna Roach, Executive Director & CEO of the ARC according to a press release.

The move comes as a win for many who had been advocating for such a policy for a while, like Propel ATL, a nonprofit focused on alternative mobility.

Another longtime advocate for e-bikes and author of the alternative mobility solution Drawdown Georgia, Dr. Daniel Matisoff, said increased adoption and use of e-bikes could help the state reach its carbon reduction goals. This was supported by a techno-economic analysis by Drawdown Georgia.

“We calculated that a 10 percent increase in walking / biking for urban trips under 4 miles would result in a 3.6 Mt (million metric tons) reduction in CO2, which is approximately 3.6 percent of Georgia’s carbon…