Bike sales falter, but don’t stop. After a 7% drop in 2022, the market could rise again this year, at least in Ile-de-France, with a financial boost. On April 20, IDFM (Ile-de-France Mobilités) will present to the board of directors a series of measures aimed at helping people equip themselves with all kinds of bicycles, electric, but also muscle or cargo. Last year, sales of mechanical bicycles plummeted 13%.
These measures, if validated, will enter into force on September 1, but some will benefit from retroactivity to the date of the board of directors, that is, April 20.
“In order to make the Véligo Location service compatible with aid for the acquisition of bicycles, it also seems necessary to diversify the types of bicycles that can be the subject of a subsidy from Île-de-France Mobilités”, indicates the deliberation project.
Decreased aid, but without limit
To broaden the scope, the region has decided to reduce the aid for the purchase of an EAB by 100 euros, going from 500 to 400 euros on September 1, 2023. But this subsidy will no longer have a cap. It will be combined with the aid offered by the municipalities.
“We are simplifying the system (…) making it cumulative with the help of municipalities”, declared Valérie Pécresse.
A person whose income allows them to obtain a grant of 300 euros from their town hall, as is the case of Puteaux, will see their bicycle bill drop by 700 euros instead of the current 500. Until then, the cumulative grants from the region and its city were capped at 500 euros and Puteolians could only get 200 euros from the region.
100 euros for a mechanical bicycle
The real novelty are the aids for mechanical bicycles. Until now, muscle bike owners, or those who allowed them, were the poor relatives of smooth mobility. A grant of 100 euros (with a cap of 50% of the cost) will be offered to young people between the ages of 15 and 25 for the purchase of a new or used bicycle purchased from a professional from April 20. It’s not enough to afford the gravel of your dreams, but the gesture will allow you to invest in a simple and efficient road bike, the kind you can find new in supermarkets or used at many retailers.
Another novelty, aid of 200 euros to invest in a kit to transform a muscle bike into an electric one. Important precision, this device must be installed by a professional. Regarding mechanical bicycles, file requests will be taken into account retroactively to the date of this Council”, that is, to April 20, the deliberation project specifies.
This type of device is available from 500 euros. They not only allow you not to spend too much on a VAE, but also keep your bike. Some kits, such as electric wheels, even allow families to change from one bike to another in families that do not want or cannot replace all the bikes.
Another proposed measure is aid for bicycle rental for companies with fewer than 50 workers. It will have a cap of 150 euros per year and per bicycle with a limit of 5 bicycles and for a period of 3 years per applicant.
Since 2019, the Ile de France region has invested 100 million euros in cycling (aid and infrastructure). In 2023, the annual budget will increase by one million euros to reach 34.85 million. In 3 years, the region has granted 200,000 grants of 500 euros for the purchase of an electrically assisted bicycle (VAE) and to 700,000 the number of cyclists in the region whose goal to achieve is 2.1 million cyclists.
Source: BFM TV
