Saanich plans to bring back its e-bike purchase-incentive program this year, and wants the province to follow suit.
Council agreed Monday to have staff prepare a resolution for the Union of B.C. Municipalities to ask the province to bring back its e-bike incentive program.
Coun. Karen Harper noted getting the province on board is essential. “I think Saanich can only do so much. If it’s not a broader-based program, then we are not going to achieve our climate goal.”
The Saanich program, which ran from October 2021 until November 2022, offered a rebate of $350 to $1,600 for residents buying a new e-bike. Residents of any income qualified for the $350 rebate, while the $800 and $1,600 rebates were available to those with lower household incomes.
A total of 389 incentives packages worth $309,650 were handed out.
The Saanich program was put on hold last year, however, when the province launched its own incentive program based largely on the Saanich pilot project. The province set aside $6 million for the program, with up to $1,600 in incentives available for the lowest-income group of buyers.
A University of British Columbia study on the Saanich e-bike pilot program found participants used their e-bikes to replace vehicle trips, and while vehicle ownership remained steady, greenhouse-gas emissions from vehicle trips shrank.
The study showed greenhouse gases were reduced by an average of 40 per cent due to the residents using their e-bikes, with the highest reduction — 28 kilograms of greenhouse gases weekly — in the lowest-income households that qualified for the highest rebates.
Mayor Dean Murdock said more people would likely commute by e-bike if it wasn’t for the cost. “If we can put $350 or $500 towards the purchase of that e-bike to make it more accessible, people choose that and they use it in the longer term.
“And that’s delivering considerable benefits in terms of taking vehicles off the road, but also ensuring that we’re supporting a diversity of travelling options at prices people can afford.”
Saanich’s incentive program is expected to return later this year with a budget of $130,000 for 100 incentive packages for residents to purchase e-bikes. No date has been set for the program’s relaunch.
In a statement Tuesday, the Ministry of Transportation said it would evaluate the future of its e-bike rebate program once all rebates have been processed.
The ministry distributed more than 4,500 e-bike rebates to residents around the province, it said.
Murdock said he is hopeful the province will commit to a longer-term program to provide support for people who want to make the switch to an e-bike.
“We have to continue to make investments in infrastructure that allows people to get around safely and conveniently.”
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