DENVER — How would you like to get paid to ride your bike in Denver? A new pilot program hopes to entice Denverites to drive their vehicles less and take advantage of incentives to cycle around the city.
Denver Streets Partnership, in conjunction with Denver’s Office of Climate, Sustainability, and Resiliency, announced three versions of the program that come with different rewards.
“Anyone who is a Denver resident over 18 and who primarily drives currently, however, we're trying to prioritize folks who are living in historically disinvested neighborhoods in Denver, people of color and people of lower income,” said Adrienne Razavi with Denver Streets Partnership. “We are paying people a certain amount of money based on which of the versions of the program they are selected to participate in.”Here’s how each of the three versions works.
Riders can apply to the first version of the program and take “transportation-related” trips on a bike to get paid $1 per mile up to $200 per month, according to Denver Streets Partnership. Miles for biking for recreation do not count.
In the second version of the program, bicyclists can receive 4 hours of coaching and up to $500 for bike extras like accessories and repair. Portions of the $500 can go toward the purchase of a non-electric bike. Riders who bike at least once a week would then receive $200 at the end of the pilot program
“They'll get four hours of personalized coaching around route finding and things like that,” said Razavi. “They'll also get confident commuter training, so they can learn about bike infrastructure and good safety and then they'll get paid at the end of the three months, an additional $200 If they ride at least once a week.”
A third version of the program would provide mileage reimbursement and other support combining the benefits of both the first and second models of the program.
The bike training programs are created for both traditional bike and e-bike riders and cover rules of riding, basic bike maintenance and “common bicycle-vehicle conflicts,” according to Denver Streets Partnership. The training sessions last between 60 and 90 minutes.
“So we're collecting our applications until the end of February. We're doing and collecting some data in March and then folks will ride from April through June,” added Razavi.
The application window is open through the end of the month and a limited number of spots will be available.
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After filling out the form, applicants who are chosen into a program will be notified in March with the program running April through June.
Riders must have a smartphone or computer with internet and access to a bicycle. Participants in version 3 of the program will need to provide information to complete a W9 form, according to Denver Streets Partnership.
“We are getting money into the hands of folks who could really use it, to see if which of these incentivization models work,” said Razavi. “To research what incentive models work best to create long term habit change around transportation choices for Denverites.”
The program is also looking hire three part-time "bike buddies" who will provide personalized coaching, bike safety and maintenance tips for riders.
