resident | 511 Contra Costa

The Richmond ferry is free on Fridays.

Free every Friday through the end of 2024. Try it out for your commute.

Tag: resident

California E-Bike Incentive

Posted on
Logo for California E-Bike Incentive Project. Photo of man with arms spread standing beside an electric bicycle. Text reads: The first e-bike incentive application window OPENS on December 18th at 6pm PST.

Update (12/20/24): The California E-Bike Incentive Project’s first e-bike incentive application window is now CLOSED. To stay in the loop on the timing of future application windows, you can subscribe to receive updates on the program’s homepage.

California residents can apply for $1,750 or more to purchase an e-bike through the California E-Bike Incentive Project. Funds will be awarded on a first come, first served basis.

Documents You’ll Need to Apply

To help you get ready, here’s a quick checklist of documents you’ll need to have ready when you apply. Documents need to be in a digital format to be uploaded. Digital file types include, but are not limited to PDF files, scans, JPEG or PNG file formats.

  1. Proof of California Residency – California Driver’s License, AB 60 License, or California ID card. The document must be current/valid and issued by the California DMV. If the address on the identification is not up to date, this is a list of documents you can submit.
  2. Proof of Income Eligibility – Provide documents to verify that your annual gross household income is at or below 300% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). The easiest form to submit is a Federal Tax Transcript, easily downloaded or requested by mail from: tax records and transcripts. If you don’t file taxes, refer to this list of acceptable documents. 

Taking a few minutes now to gather these documents will help streamline your application so you’re all set to apply as soon as the window opens.

What Can You Do Now to Get Ready?

To ensure you’re prepared, here’s what you need to focus on:

1) Check your eligibility – Click HERE to learn more about eligibility.

2) Watch the how-to apply video – Click HERE to watch the step by step application process video.

3) Prepare your income verification documents – Click HERE to learn more about income verification.

4) Have your current/valid California ID ready and ensure your ID is up to date to avoid any delays. 

5) Watch the 2 online training videos – Click the links below to watch the training videos prior to applying.

Watch the E-Bike Safety Video
Watch the Climate Impact Video

6) Check out the FAQ’s – Click HERE to review the California E-Bike Incentives Project FAQ page.


For more information, please visit our website ebikeincentives.org.

E-Bike Incentives Get People Biking More

Posted on

According to the California Bicycle Coalition, more than fifteen percent of vehicle trips made in California are less than one mile. Eighty percent are less than ten miles. This makes an e-bike a great choice for replacing car trips. However, the cost of e-bikes are one of the strongest barriers to adoption, according to a recent study by researchers at UC Davis.

The good news is that both nationwide and statewide, programs offering cash incentives to help individuals purchase e-bikes are on the rise. In California alone, there are at least ten such programs.

To see how people’s travel behavior changed after buying an e-bike using an incentive program, UC Davis researchers evaluated survey data from rebate participants in programs across Northern California – including 511 Contra Costa’s program. They discovered between 35 and 50 percent of e-bike trips made by these individuals would have been made by car if an e-bike had not been available.

Rebate recipients also reported an increase in bicycle use. Two months after getting an e-bike, most reported shifting from biking “never” or 1-3 times a month to 1-3 times a week.

As for how getting an e-bike affected their driving habits, most e-bike rebate recipients replaced driving trips with riding e-bikes at least 1–3 times per month. Across the study group, a large share of respondents (82%) reported replacing at least one car trip with an e-bike ride.

The takeaway is that e-bike incentive programs work. And the majority of people who purchase e-bikes change their driving and biking behaviors, which helps reduce both traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions.

Let us help get you on an e-bike! Our E-Bike Rebate Program, which started three years ago, is still going strong. It offers rebates of $150, $300, and $500 to Contra Costa County residents. You have six months from the date you buy an e-bike to apply, so if you bought an e-bike recently, be sure to apply today!

Apply or Learn More