Summers in Durango can be characterized by congested roads and stressful commutes. The city hopes to help alleviate some of that bumper-to-bumper traffic – and aid in the transition to a greener community – by offering e-bike rebates.

And, for those who have received rebates, the arrival of their new wheels is proving to be a fun, healthy and carefree way to commute.

“The e-bike is really nice; it was very reliable – you can just charge it up,” said Harrison Crum, one of the e-bike rebate recipients. “You don’t have to pay for gas and, compared to a regular bike to get to work, it’s a lot less energy.”

Before he received his e-bike in early May, Crum used a variety of transportation methods, including a road bike, public transit and an unreliable car to commute to work and run errands.

Sera Wacasey, a sustainability intern at the city manager’s office who is helping run the initiative, said Crum’s situation is not uncommon in Durango.

Wacasey said the rebate program was designed with three initiatives in mind: providing reliable transportation to those who lack it, lowering emissions and mitigating traffic congestion.

Those eligible for the rebate include Durango-area residents, members of the Durango workforce and students attending school in Durango. Applications were due May 12, and recipients, who Wacasey says were selected based on a lottery system, were announced May 15.

Once they receive their vouchers, recipients are required to adhere to a series of specifications about the bikes they are buying and the way they apply the voucher.

To apply a voucher to a bike, a person must have it in hand at the time of purchase, said Mike Phillips with Mountain Bike Specialists in Durango.

As for the bikes themselves, the city’s e-bike rebate information website indicates that vouchers cannot be applied to bikes with electric motors greater than 750 watts, or any full-suspension e-mountain bikes. The program isn’t geared toward recreation as much as it is commuting.

Additionally, e-bike rebate guidelines specify that vouchers can only be applied to class one and two bikes, which Phillips said top out at 20 mph.

Class three bikes, which top out at 28 mph with pedal assist, were exempted from the rebate program because they are not permitted on trails, Wacasey said.

“We want people to be able to use the infrastructure we already have in place for transportation,” Wacasey said.

To increase e-bike accessibility to low-income community members, Wacasey said program funding has been broken into two categories: income qualified and general.

Non-income-qualified vouchers range from $150 to $300, while income-qualified vouchers range from $500 to $1,550.

Crum said he submitted an income-qualified application and was told his voucher would likely amount to $800 if he was selected. When he was awarded the full $1,550, he was ecstatic.

“I was shocked, it was a very pleasant surprise,” he said.

After waiting a little over two weeks, Crum had successfully selected and obtained his e-bike from Pedal the Peaks.

Crum says having an e-bike will take a significant degree of stress out of his 2-mile daily commute to Manna soup kitchen where he works doing street outreach.

“I’m very happy and grateful I got (the bike),” Crum said. “It’s really going to be helpful for me and I really appreciate that they’re doing this program. It’s really cool.”

Total program funding amounted to $50,000, which Wacasey said came from a $25,000 Colorado Department of Transportation grant that was matched by the city of Durango.

So far, the money has been distributed to 18 income-qualified and 45 regular non-income-qualified applicants.

For the approximately 140 people who are still on the waitlist or those who missed the May 12 application deadline, Wacasey said there is still hope.

If recipients fail to redeem their rebates by Aug. 31, Wacasey said the money will be rolled over to applicants on the waitlist. The city of Durango is also actively applying for additional CDOT grants to fund additional rebates.

“It could take up to a year and a half,” Wacasey said. “We’re going to focus on the waitlist and once everyone has been awarded, we will reopen more applications in the future.”

Even Wacasey is on the list. “I’m pretty far down. But that’s OK, I’m patient.”

lveress@duarngoherald.com