Scotland takes stock of eBike Grant Fund in year four

Scotland has delivered the latest numbers for its successful eBike Grant Fund scheme in its fourth year. In this new round just closed, the Scottish Government has provided over £825,000 to support 36 e-bike projects with projects for disabled people and rural communities leading the way.

The eBike Grant Fund via the Energy Saving Trust has delivered 216 e-bikes, 56 e-cargo bikes, and 34 adapted cycles to said 36 projects across the country.

Examples include the Shapinsay Development Trust, which has been awarded over £16,000 for ten new bikes. Visitors to the island in Orkney may rent the new electric bikes, while residents will have free access for the project duration.

Lisa-Marie Muir from the Shapinsay Development Trust said, “It’s great that we’re receiving funding for e-bikes from the Scottish Government through Energy Saving Trust. Shapinsay is quite a small island at only 6 miles long, so it’s easy to cover the whole island in a day with an electric bike.”

In Edinburgh, Leonard Cheshire Disability has been awarded over £19,000 for two electric rickshaws. Shared across eight services, this offers physically challenged people more opportunities to keep active through accessible cycling.

Over four years of the fund, over £2.8 million has been provided to support over 170 projects across Scotland with 996 e-bikes.

“The Scottish Government has committed to providing record sums of over £320 million a year by the end of 2024/25,” added Patrick Harvie, Minister for Active Travel.

The E-Bike Grant Fund was launched in 2018/19. Applications for this year’s round just closed.

transport.gov.scot (PI), energysavingtrust.org.uk (Funding scheme)