Photo | Eric Casey
Hayes Morrison, undersecretary of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, speaks at Monday's reveal of MassCEC's e-bike program.
April 14, 2025
Six Central Mass. businesses to participate in $3.6M e-bike program
Photo | Eric Casey
An e-bike at Landry's Bicycles in Worcester
Officials from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center met at Landry’s Bicycles in Worcester on Monday to unveil a new incentive program designed to make e-bikes more affordable for low- and moderate-income residents.
The Massachusetts Statewide Electric Bike Incentive Program will offer residents point-of-sale vouchers on e-bike purchases in an effort to increase access to flexible transportation options.
Six retailers across seven locations in Central Massachusetts are participating in the program:
- Pedal Power Bike & Ski, in Acton
- The Break Bike Shop, in Fitchburg
- Karbon Bikes, in Holliston
- Barney's Bicycle, in Worcester
- Fritz's Bicycle Shop, in Worcester
- Landry's Bicycles, in Westborough and Worcester
“We believe bicycles truly do have the power to change the world, but it's really cool to see how one bicycle can change one person’s whole world,” Gregory Affsa, manager at Landry’s Bicycles in Worcester, said at the event.
Residents who apply for the program and who are accepted will be eligible for either $800 or $1,200 in rebates, according to the program’s website. The program has a separate incentive of $150 to be used for the purchase of safety and security equipment like locks, helmets, and lights.
The program is expected to lead to the awarding of up to 3,000 vouchers, said Hayes Morrison, undersecretary of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.
“This incentive program is probably one of the best on-the-ground, last-mile issue programs I have ever seen,” Morrison said at the Monday press conference announcing the program.“By making [vouchers usable] at point of sale, we are really hopeful that all 3,000 bikes will be distributed and that we will do nothing but grow.”
To be eligible for the full $1,200 voucher, an applicant must have income below 400% of the federal poverty level. For a one-person household, this would mean an income at or lower than $35,212.
To be eligible for the $800 voucher, an applicant must have income below 225% of the federal poverty level. For a one-person household, this would mean an income at or lower than $62,600.
Vouchers will be awarded by random selection of applicants. From April to September, there will be a monthly drawing after a two week pre-application period each month. April’s application period is now live. Applicants must be Massachusetts residents and age 18 or older.
The program comes on the heels of e-bike incentive pilot projects held by MassCEC since 2022 in environmental justice communities, including Worcester.
Eric Casey is the managing editor at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the manufacturing and real estate industries.
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