With an average price of between 1,500 and 2,000 euros (according to the calculation of UFC Que Choisir), the electric bike remains inaccessible to the most precarious people. This is the reason for this new decree which came into force on Monday, which increases the maximum bonus for the purchase of an electric bicycle from 200 to 300 euros, for people whose tax income per unit is less than 13,489 euros. Another measure, obtaining this bonus will no longer be conditional on the payment of aid from a local authority.
The decree also targets people with disabilities and those whose tax income falls to 6,300 euros at most. The latter will be able to benefit from this aid up to 400 euros. If they decide to buy a cargo bike, a folding bike or an electric trailer, the bonus can reach 2,000 euros, against 1,000 euros for other beneficiaries of the aid. For all other types of bicycle, they will be entitled to aid equivalent to 40% of the purchase price, up to 150 euros.
For people with disabilities or low incomes who wish to get rid of a polluting vehicle to buy an electric bike, the maximum amount of the conversion bonus is increased to 3,000 euros, compared to 1,500 euros for other beneficiaries of the ‘assistance. Finally, the conversion bonus will be, from next January 1, accessible to several members of the same tax household. As a reminder, the “bike bonus” is only accessible once, and only for the purchase of a new bike.
Booming bicycle journeys
Interviewed on France Info on Monday, Virgile Caillet, general delegate of the Union sport et cycle – which brings together 1,700 companies in the sports sector – welcomed this new measure: “It’s obviously going in the right direction, even if there are a lot conditions for this aid. (…) France is once again becoming a cycling country. »
The first version of the ecological bonus for electrically assisted bicycles was launched in February 2017. The system was then integrated into the “Plan Vélo”, launched by the Ministry of Transport the following year. Its main objective: to increase the overall share of bicycle journeys in France to 9% in 2024, via purchase incentives, awareness campaigns and the development of appropriate infrastructure. Against the backdrop of the ecological imperative.
According to the reference association Vélo et Territoires, during the first half of 2022, bicycle journeys increased by 12% compared to 2021. This increase reached 39% compared to 2019, just before the health crisis. Figures pulled up by attendance during the week and in urban areas.
With AFP
How to face the rise of uncertainties?
Inflation, rising interest rates, Ukraine and now political uncertainty, the shocks are multiplying. To evolve in an increasingly complex environment, the editorial expertise of Les Echos is invaluable. Every day, our surveys, analyses, columns and editorials accompany our subscribers, help them understand the changes that are transforming our world and prepare them to make the best decisions.
I discover the offers