Government reinforces incentives for the purchase of bicycles with an additional half million Euros

In less than half a year the support for the acquisition of bicycles was exhausted that the Government had launched for an entire yearthrough its Environmental Fund. Usually, when the available incentives run out one year, they are only reinforced the next, but the executive decided for the first time to increase the "check" for the purchase of bicycles.

According to the dispatch published in Diário da RepúblicaThere will be an additional half million euros for two categories: one covering electric bicycles, motorcycles, and mopeds, and one covering conventional (non-electric) bicycles. In other words, in the first category, there is 450 thousand euros more in the budget, which thus rises from 650 thousand to 1.1 million euros; in the second category, the budget has doubled from 50 thousand to 100 thousand euros.

The "tap" will turn off again when the budget limit for each category is reached or the stipulated ceiling in number of units is reached: 3142 electric bicycles and 1000 non-electric bicycles. At the moment there are 1354 applications accepted for the former and 621 for the latter; on the waiting list are 1173 and 571 applications respectively. In other words, the budget extension should primarily serve applications that are being evaluated and that would previously have been immediately excluded due to lack of funds.

Through the Environmental Fund, the state has been financing a portion of the value of bicycles previously purchased by individuals or companies: in the case of electric bicycles, the support is 50% up to a maximum of EUR 350; in the case of non-electric bicycles, it is 20% up to a maximum of EUR 100. The incentives for the purchase of electric cargo bicycles remain unchanged; for these, there is a limit of 300 thousand euros or 300 units, and 209 applications were received, of which 104 were accepted, 79 refused, and 17 remain to be validated

So, for example, who bought an electric bicycle for 700 euros, will receive half that amount back into his bank account. These supports accumulate with those of the Lisbon ChamberSo, taking the same example, the individual will receive another 350 Euros from the municipality, and the bicycle will cost him nothing. However, if the bicycle is more expensive and costs, for example, 1,500 Euros, the amount to be received from both the State and the municipality will still be 350 Euros. If it costs 500 euros, the envelope will be 250 euros (that is, the same 50%). More information on support can be found at on the Environmental Fund's website.

The MUBi - Association for Urban Mobility on Bicycles had called in May for more support e wrote now on Facebook that the "reinforcement falls short".. "On conventional bicycles, the new limit is not even enough for applications that have already been submitted"he added. "We were expecting the boost to be a bit larger: we had suggested at the end of 2020 that the incentives could accommodate the purchase of 5000 electric-assisted bicycles and 5000 conventional units." Already José Manuel Caetano, president FPCUB - Portuguese Federation of Cycletourism and Bicycle Users, told Público which "the priority should be physical effort bicycles" and that "you can't have a population getting fatter and give them electric bicycles". Caetano also mentioned that, rather than a direct contribution at the time of purchase, he would prefer that the expenses with velocipedes could be discounted in the IRS, similarly to what happens with the expenses in car garages and with public transportation passes.

Dinheiro Vivo notes this is the first time that the executive reinforces support through the Environmental Fund in the same year. Since 2017, the state only redistributed the remaining funds of the types with less demand for vehicles with more applications and that were left on a waiting list, as the newspaper writes.