26 April 2017
The E bike grant scheme operated by the Department for Infrastructure (DFI) has reached the limit of its allocated funding of £150,000 and applications will no longer be accepted after Friday 28 April 2017.
The scheme was launched by the Minister for Infrastructure, Deputy Eddie Noel, last June and offered up to £300 discount to individuals who bought an E bike through local retailers.
The Department originally intended allocating £50,000 per annum for three years but the popularity of the scheme has enabled approximately 550 E bike grants to be issued in under one year.
Jersey Post purchased 20 E bikes for their delivery staff and were also sponsored through the scheme. As previous sales in Jersey of E bikes were estimated to be less than 100 per annum, it is clear that the scheme has significantly increased the uptake of E bikes.
Users of the scheme were asked to complete an online survey. As of Tuesday 25 April, 217 responses had been received. The key aspects were:
- 65% said that they had bought an E bike to lose weight or to be more active / healthier and 24% to travel around more easily
- 58% said that the E bike had replaced travel by car / van / scooter / motorbike
- 70% said they had used their E bikes for work at least once a week, and of those, 34% for four or more days a week
- when asked what benefits had they seen, 50% said they had saved money on parking and petrol, 63% felt healthier / fitter / more active and 56% had more flexibility to travel around
Quotes from users of the scheme included:
- "Can do a six mile commute without needing to change or shower and can tackle hills / headwinds with ease”
- “The main benefit for me is that it has encouraged and allows me to be active again with my children due to chronic pain conditions which will benefit my health and family wellbeing”
Deputy Noel said “This has been a really successful scheme. The take-up has been fantastic. It has delivered the results we were looking for, people have been using their E bikes instead of cars and they have been feeling the benefit.”
All applications granted and awaiting E bike purchase will be honoured (applicants have a month after their application has been granted to actually purchase an E bike).
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