Merri-bek Council in inner Melbourne has continued to lead the way in lowering cost of transport for families in the local area with subsidies for the purchase or lease of a family e-bike.

Responding to the current fuel crisis that is adding even more pressure on families juggling trips to school and work, Merri-bek is offering families either $500 off the cost of a new or re-furbished bike, or 50% off the weekly subscription cost of a bike for 3 months, up to a value of $500.

Council officers have told WeRide that they are excited to be able ‘take this fuel crisis moment and do something about it.’

They say they ‘have gone with two suppliers who have multiple bikes on offer to give people choice, and the selected models are high quality without breaking the bank!’

Screenshot: Merri-bek Council’s program web page.

Merri-bek has run subsidy programs over the last four years and pioneered them back in 2021. We believe they may have been the first Council in Australia to do so.

Financial incentives for active travel make sense!

WeRide’s ground-breaking national research report revealed that every $1 invested nationally in this way returns $7.71. These figures have been recently updated using the latest Australian Government ATAP values, first published in our research report here: weride.org.au/…/WeRide_e-Bike_Subsidy_Report_FINAL-lores.pdf

Merri-bek Council’s Ride and Stride initiative can be accessed at Cargocycles and Lug & Carrie, with new and re-furbished family cargo bikes and e-bikes for single riders available. These partnerships also ensure families can be sure they are getting the best quality standards-compliant and legal e-bikes.

Details on the program can be found here: zerocarbonmerri-bek.org.au/ebike-subsidies/

Screenshot: Merri-bek Council program webpage.