Mobility Bonus: Incentives of up to €500 for electric bicycles and micro-vehicles

Yesterday, the Council of Ministers finally approved the Relaunch Decree, a package of measures aimed at promoting sustainable mobility. Let's take a detailed look at all the new provisions contained in Article 205 of the new document, which slightly modified the original draft of May 11th, introducing the long-awaited "Mobility Bonus."

€500 Mobility Bonus

Long-awaited by all "clean" two-wheel enthusiasts and industry professionals, the "mobility bonus" will apply to purchases of bicycles and electric micro-mobility vehicles between May 4, 2020, and December 31, 2020. The government has put €120 million on the table (much more than the €70 million envisaged in the draft), which will be disbursed for a maximum reimbursable value of €500, with a 60% coverage percentage . This means that, to fully benefit from the €500, a minimum of €833 will have to be spent, approximately 10% less than announced by Paola De Micheli , Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, a few days ago. For example, for the purchase of a €399 electric scooter, the available bonus would cover approximately €240, leaving the difference of approximately €159 to be paid by the customer. Who is entitled to the bonus? The direct beneficiaries of the Mobility Bonus are all adults residing in regional capitals , metropolitan cities , provincial capitals , and municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants. What vehicles are included in the Bonus? The Bonus covers the purchase of eco-friendly vehicles such as traditional bicycles , pedal-assisted bicycles, and other types of primarily electric-powered personal mobility vehicles (scooters and various speed boosters). It also includes shared mobility services for individual use , such as bike and/or scooter sharing , but car sharing is excluded. Please note! A note in the provision specifies that " the mobility bonus may be requested only once and exclusively for one of the intended uses provided."

What changes in the Highway Code

The main innovation envisaged by the decree includes the introduction into the Highway Code of the " Bike Lane ," a stop line advanced for bicycles compared to the stop line established for all other vehicles. The intent is clearly to provide greater safety guarantees for those on two wheels, being built " along roads with a permitted speed of less than or equal to 50 km/h, even if they have multiple lanes in each direction, and placed at a distance of at least 3 meters from the stop line established for vehicular traffic ." The decree will explicitly define the " Bike Lane " in the Code as " the longitudinal portion of the roadway, located on the right, delimited by a broken white line, passable and for mixed use, suitable for allowing the circulation of bicycles in the same direction as other vehicles and marked with the symbol of a bicycle." Part of the ordinary vehicle lane is now exclusively designated for bicycles, eliminating the mixing of traffic with other types of vehicles, thereby improving safety and traffic flow. Completing the reform package is the creation of a Mobility Manager (responsible for corporate mobility), with the aim of promoting new forms of sustainable mobility , integrated with a general improvement in road congestion and a reduction in pollution levels. This role is envisaged for businesses and public administrations, and is mandatory for entities with more than 100 employees located in the aforementioned areas covered by the reform (regional capitals, metropolitan cities, provincial capitals, and municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants). Concluding the new measures introduced, it should be noted that there is currently no clear indication of the funds to be allocated to municipalities for the construction of bike lanes during Phase 2, work which has already begun in some cities. Another sore point concerns the two-way cycling rule, which allows cyclists to travel in both directions, which is not addressed in the decree and which would have streamlined traffic during the relaunch phase. The same applies to bus lanes open to cyclists, school streets, and speed checks in the city.