TAMPA, Fla. — It's time to get into the spirit of Florida Bike Month, and the city of Tampa is helping locals prepare.
City leaders announced they are relaunching Tampa's e-bike voucher program.
The e-bike voucher program is an application-based, lottery-style drawing that awards up to $3,000 off the purchase of a brand-new e-bike from one of five participating bike shops.
The relaunch will be celebrated with a kick-off event at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Al Lopez Park. Attendees can participate in a hands-on e-bike rodeo, where locals can get a free e-bike test ride.
After a successful debut in 2023, organizers say it is bigger and better than ever this year.
This year, the program's funding received $570,000, an increase of $400,000 from the year before. It allows the city to give away more vouchers and make a wider variety of e-bikes available, including Class 1 and Class 2 electric bicycles.
It will also be split into two rounds — Spring and Fall 2024, due to higher demand.
Organizers are offering winners one of three vouchers:
- Standard Voucher - $1,000 off a new e-bike
- Low-Income Voucher - $2,000 off a new e-bike
- Very Low-Income Voucher - $3,000 off a new e-bike
"With more than 130 miles of bike lanes in Tampa, and many more on the way, there has never been a better time to try out an e-bike," Mayor Jane Castor said in a statement. "They are fun, environmentally friendly, and help remove cars from our congested roadways."
The application window for the e-bike voucher program runs through 5 p.m. Friday, March 15. Sign-ups can be done online by clicking or tapping here.
Sign-ups will also take place in person at any of the e-bike Rodeo events. Other ones include:
- 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, March 13, 2024, at Copeland Park
- 5-7 p.m. Thursday, March 14, 2024, at Ballast Point Park
You can also sign up for the program in person at the city's parking offices located in the Fort Brooke Garage.