Demand Outstrips Supply in Atlanta E-Bike Rebate Program

The city of Atlanta found out just how popular their e-bike rebate program was when it went live on June 16. In a bit more than 48 hours the program received 4867 applications. The program was funded with a $1 million investment from the city of Atlanta and was intended to provide affordable transportation options for low-income residents. A whopping 4,500 of those applications were filed within the first 12 hours after the web page went live.

By the time the application window closed on June 23, the city had received nearly 9000 applications.

Depending on your view, that is either good or bad news, possibly both. The overwhelming response shows just how keen people are to add an e-bike to their transportation options, which is certainly good. The bad news is that only 700 rebate vouchers are available in this first round.

Income-qualified Atlanta residents (those who demonstrate they meet the threshold to qualify as low income) can receive a rebate certificate good for $1,000 off a regular e-bike or $2,000 off a cargo e-bike. Residents who exceed the income threshold can receive a rebate of up to $500 for an e-bike or $1,000 for a cargo e-bike.

The first round of rebates should be distributed to recipients by the end of July. Recipients will have six weeks to purchase their e-bike from a qualified Atlanta retailer.

Atlanta will offer two more rounds of rebate distribution, with one taking place in August and another in September.