Two new funds are being announced to encourage more people to start using electric bicycles, particularly for shorter journeys.
The Low Carbon Transport Loan Fund will have £500,000 available for interest-free loans of up to £3,000 to help individuals and businesses purchase e-bikes and e-cargo bikes.
The E-bike Grant Fund will allocate £700,000 for local authorities, public sector agencies, community organisations, colleges and universities to encourage large scale e-bike adoption. It is expected grants will fund e-bike pools, secure cycle parking and safety equipment.
A further £100,000 will be available through the E-bike Grant Fund to let members of the public test ride e-bikes at Home Energy Scotland advice centres, active travel hubs and community centres.
The funding will be announced by Cabinet Secretary for the Rural Economy and Connectivity Fergus Ewing at the Scottish Transport Summit in Glasgow this morning (Thursday).
“These funds are the latest in a range of measures the Scottish Government is introducing to encourage sustainable and active travel,” he said.
“We want more people, who undertake shorter journeys, to leave their cars at home and go by bike for the benefit of their health and our environment.
“E-bikes can be a great way of getting started with active travel as they offer as much assistance as the rider needs. They also make it easy for people to take heavy bags with them using panniers, trailers or by opting for an e-cargo bike in the first place.”
The popularity of pedal assisted electric bikes or ebikes for short, has been growing year on year. They are a good alternative to a normal bike especially if your route includes hills, is more than 5 miles long or if you need an extra boost on the road.
If you are considering purchasing an ebike there is a new, exciting funding opportunity available through Energy Saving Trust. We offer an interest-free loan to buy an ebike. This scheme is funded by Transport Scotland (an agency of the Scottish Government).
The eBike loan is for up to £6,000 with a repayment period of 4 years and covers the following (per household):
2 x ebikes capped at £3,000 each
1 x family ecargo bike capped at £6,000
1 x adaptive ebike capped at £6,000
If a non e-bike is more suitable to meet an individual’s needs, applications can be considered by Energy Saving Trust on a case by case basis.
With the exception of an initial deposit, applicants must not make any other payment towards the purchase of the ebike(s) before receiving a loan offer under this programme as funding is not provided retrospectively.
Interest-free loans of up to £30,000 are available to Scottish businesses to help lower their transport and travel costs. These loans are funded by Transport Scotland (an agency of the Scottish Government) and have a repayment term of up to 4 years.
The low carbon transport loan aims to support organisations that want to reduce their carbon impact and use more sustainable ways to travel for example, pedal assisted electric bikes.
The loan covers:
New ebike(s) (pedal assisted electric bike(s)) for up to £3,000 per bike
New ecargo bike(s) for up to £6,000 per bike
New electric adaptive bike(s) for up to £6,000 per bike unless agreed in writing by Energy Saving Trust
If a non e-bike is more suitable to meet an individual’s needs, applications can be considered by Energy Saving Trust on a case by case basis.
Application forms will be available from Friday 22 June.
