New E-cargo bike voucher program launches for SGV residents. Here’s how to apply

San Gabriel Valley residents can now apply for a $2,000 voucher to purchase an e-cargo bike — that’s an electric bike that can carry everything from kids to lots of groceries and other essentials.

“The focus is really on households that may have young children or that may be looking to reduce the number of vehicle trips they have to take for everyday needs,  whether that be doing errands around town, going to the store, doing school pickup and drop off, et cetera,” said Wes Reutimann, deputy director of nonprofit Active San Gabriel Valley, or ActiveSGV, which is leading the project.

All San Gabriel Valley residents are eligible. To apply, you have to fill out a survey and agree to participate in two additional surveys about your experience. But you better move quickly. Only 300 vouchers are available, and they’ll be distributed as applications are received and approved. Here’s the application form and more on the program.

E-cargo bikes that are part of the Go SGV bike share program.

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Courtesy Wes Reutimann

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Reutimann said they’ve already received some 150 applications, but don’t worry, there will be other opportunities to buy or try out an e-cargo bike.

Reutimann said ActiveSGV will be expanding its e-cargo bike sharing program in the next couple of months, and there will be two additional rounds of vouchers — the next will be for income-qualified residents and the round after that will be targeted to communities near the 10 Freeway.

Why it matters

Pollution from the tailpipes of passenger cars accounts for about 28% of California’s planet-heating emissions and about 8% of pollutants that contribute to smog, according to the California Air Resources Board.

But most of the time, we’re actually not traveling all that far on a daily basis. In El Monte, for example, more than 53% of car trips are under 5 miles, and in West Covina, more than 56% of trips are that short, according to the nonpartisan clean energy think tank Rocky Mountain Institute, or RMI.

RMI estimates that over 10 years, using e-bikes instead of cars for short trips in the 10 states with the most transportation-related emissions could avoid the equivalent amount of pollution that eight coal-fired power plants spew in one year.

Edward Duong with Active SGV using an e-cargo bike to transport water.

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Courtesy Wes Reutimann

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So, using an e-bike instead of a car for short trips can actually make a significant dent in pollution.

But these bikes are expensive, especially e-cargo bikes, which can cost around $3,000 up to more than $6,000.

Reutimann said the current e-cargo bike share program has been extremely popular, and that’s what spurred the effort on the vouchers.

“A lot of people who graduate from that sharing program really love the bikes,” he said. “However, one of the barriers many households are experiencing is just the cost of purchasing one.”

Reutimann himself uses an e-cargo bike to take his kids to school every day in Pasadena. And the benefit goes beyond using his car less.

“It's great for my mental and physical health,” Reutimann said. “Especially as a parent with less and less time, it’s not always easy to fit in an hour at the gym or to get an exercise..the commute to school and back, I'm getting at least 35 minutes of exercise on one round trip.”

Wes Reutimann rides an e-cargo bike with his family.

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Courtesy Wes Reutimann

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But he said  ”the infrastructure hasn't caught up with the interest yet,” so finding safe routes on quieter streets is an essential piece to committing to an e-bike life. Reutimann also said the bike bus movement — when parents “carpool” with their kids on bikes and e-bikes all together in a group in the morning to get to school — is growing and can enhance safety on busy roads.

Concerns about funding

The voucher program is part of a larger three-year project led by a coalition of local nonprofits that will, among other things, invest in:

• expanding e-bike access
• building green schoolyards
• installing free rain gardens (San Gabriel Valley residents can also apply for that now)
• planting trees
• installing rooftop solar

The $20-million effort is funded by the Biden Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act and launched this January. However, Reutimann said they had to pause the project when the Trump administration froze federal funding.

For now, Reutimann said, the funds are accessible and the project is moving forward, but the future is still uncertain.

“The future of [Inflation Reduction Act] incentives, as well as already obligated grant funds, grant funds really lies in Congress's hands at the moment,” Reutimann said. “It’s something we're following. We can't control the outcome of what happens in Washington, but we are committed to implementing this in a timely manner.”

More on e-bikes in SoCal

Clearing The Air In Wilmington, One E-Bike At A Time

An E-Bike Ride In South LA And How You Can Rent One For Free

A Free E-Bike Lending Program Launched In The San Fernando Valley. Here’s How It Works