Worcester Residents Can Apply For Free E-Bikes

WORCESTER, MA — A recent state grant may help make bicycling easier across Worcester.

The group MassBike received the $440,000 grant in March to launch a local electronic bike pilot program. About 100 Worcester residents will be given a free e-bike and will be tracked over an 18-month period. That data will allow MassBike and the city to assess how bicycles can replace trips made using more carbon intense forms of transportation, like cars.

MassBike is accepting applications now from residents interested in participating. In general, the e-bikes will go to people over 18 who earn 60 percent or less of the state median income. The group wants to include a wide array of residents, from college students to people who speak English as a second language.

On top of giving out e-bikes, participants in the Worcester program will also get access to safety equipment and training programs. At the end of the study, the residents who participate in the program will be able to keep their e-bikes.

E-bikes are an increasingly popular form of urban transportation. The bikes include batteries that helps riders ascend steep hills and travel farther with less exertion.

The Worcester e-bike grant was one of 10 given out by the state in March under the Accelerating Clean Transportation for All program.

MassBike will partner locally with the Worcester Chamber of Commerce and the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission on collecting data and finding candidates for the program, Executive Director Galen Mook said.

Mook said MassBike will share data collected from the program with Worcester city officials, which could lead to better bike infrastructure across the city to make cycling safer. Worcester has begun a long-range planning process called "Worcester Now | Next," which will include a vision for future transportation infrastructure.