£1m fund launched to lure Scottish motorists with e-bikes

The Scottish government will spend £1.14m on encouraging the use of e-bikes for 2019/2020.

Their scheme helps assist local authorities, public sector agencies, universities and colleges, active travel hubs and community groups to adopt e-bikes and e-cargo bikes as more sustainable alternatives to car journeys.

The fund will be delivered by the Energy Saving Trust and has been allocated from the Scottish government’s £80m budget for active travel.

45 projects and 460 e-bikes, e-cargo bikes and e-trikes were funded in previous rounds of the scheme.

Up to £200,000 per application is now available to help organisations and communities access the many benefits of e-bikes in a more affordable way. Funding is also offered to support applications which enable more people across Scotland to experience e-bikes through trials.

A Shimano e-bike. Photo credit – Pixabay

Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity, Michael Matheson said: ‘The advances in technology mean that e-bikes can provide a more sustainable alternative to single-occupancy car journeys. The only downside is that they still remain expensive for many and high costs remains a barrier to uptake.

‘This is where I’m proud the Scottish Government has helped to provide affordable access through this progressive initiative. Our previous rounds will introduce 460 e-bikes across Scotland, including access through high-impact cycle hire schemes.’

Organisations have until 28 June or 12 August depending on the type of application. Full details on the fund are available on the Energy Saving Trust website, visit www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/scotland/grants-loans/ebike-grant-fund