A new grant received by the City of Fort Collins will allow CSU employees and city residents to apply for an e-bike or a Spin pass through a program called Choose Your Ride, Shift Your Ride.
Fort Collins received a $148,350 grant from the Colorado Energy Office to provide up to 40 income-qualified community members the opportunity to increase their transportation options by giving them one of two things:
- An e-bike and accessories necessary for riding, or
- A one- to three-year Spin Pass (free access to e-bike and e-scooter share) and accessories necessary for riding.
In addition to the options that work best for their transportation needs and situation, participants will be matched with a “Bike Buddy” and receive education so they will have the best experience possible on their new e-bike or with Spin.
The Colorado Energy Office is providing this grant to encourage shifting car trips to more sustainable modes. In addition, they are launching an e-bike rebate program for people with low to moderate income, modeled after a program Denver developed.
“An e-bike or Spin pass can be much easier for a person than storing, maintaining, and parking their own motor vehicle, and unlike a traditional car, e-bike and Spin passes help achieve our climate goals,” said city Transportation Planner Rachel Ruhlen.
The city received the same grant from the Colorado Energy Office in 2021 and provided e-bikes to 35 people.
Full-time CSU employees can apply to participate in Choose Your, Ride Shift Your Ride at shorturl.at/lBGV8.
City residents who are not CSU employees can apply by registering with GetFoCo (https://getfocoprod.azurewebsites.us/), an all-in-one application portal to the discounted services and municipal benefits offered by the City of Fort Collins for income eligible residents. After registering, residents can apply for the Choose Your Ride, Shift Your Ride program through GetFoCo.
All applications for the program are due by April 23.
For more information, call or text Rachel Ruhlen at 970-685-8955 or email rruhlen@fcgov.com.
