Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota is starting a pilot program in Duluth that will help shape future transportation policies. With the help of Vibrant Streets Duluth, the local BikeMN chapter, five businesses will receive e-bikes for their employees to use for seven months.

“It’s really energized people about biking who wouldn’t be interested otherwise because it’s really about access, right? E-bikes are cheap compared to cars, but too expensive to just dip your toes in,” said Vibrant Streets Duluth Events and Outreach Committee Chair Hadrian DeMaioribus. “This has made people really excited about the possibility of trying out bike commuting and seeing how it works for them without the barriers that normally exist for that program.”

36 e-bikes will be split amongst Dovetail Cafe, WLSSD, St. Louis County, Equilibrium 3, and Zeitgeist. Duluth Folk School will assemble the bikes on April 21, and those participating in the study will be able to use bikes from the fleet until October.

“I used to bike to work a lot in the past when my commute was a little bit shorter, just on my regular bike, and I always found it to be just a great way to start the day mental health-wise, and getting outside more and just moving my body a little bit,” said Dovetail Cafe General Manager Madelyn Cortes. “I also love the idea of having a less car-centric road and area that we all share. Biking to work seems like a step in the right direction in terms of that.”

This Ebike Commuter Assistance Program (ECAP) is funded by the Minnesota Department of Transportation. The program aims to show businesses how providing employees with e-bikes can save money on parking and their employees’ commuting costs while improving the quality of life.

“I hope this encourages other businesses to look at how ‘wow, it might be cheaper to give an e-bike to an employee who wants it than pay for a parking spot that, you know, is expensive and takes a lot of space’,” said DeMaioribus. “I hope that this can change some of the conversation around parking and help people get to work.”