Seeing a lot of applications in similar voucher quotes last year, California is giving residents another chance to grab thousands of dollars in bike purchases.
Next week, Californians who are fit for the eligibility requirements outlined in the California e-bike award program can apply for a voucher to purchase E-The Bike if they join the waitlist between 5 and 6 p.m. Tuesday.
Last December, the California Air Resources Commission announced a similar offer, but distributed coupons on a first come first served basis, which made only 1,500 available vouchers, resulting in more than 100,000 applications. After only 45 minutes, the application window suddenly closed.
This time the country has adjusted its approach.
What changes have happened to the application process?
On Tuesday, prospective applicants must enter the online waiting room between 5pm and 6pm and click the Apply button on the website.
The program website says that all individuals entering the waiting room before 6 p.m. will have a random order for a chance to access the application. Ultimately, up to 1,000 applications will be approved, the website said.
The program’s mailing list has 150,000 subscribers to date, “now there is more publicity for the project [the first window of applications]we hope this number will be higher.
To better serve applicants, the agency has signed with a provider that works with similar high-demand incentive programs across the country.
“The waiting room and randomization process will be handled by the provider and ensure that our servers are not affected by a lot of traffic,” she said.
Why did the process change?
In the December drawings, applicants complained that they could not log in within minutes of the application opening. Some screenshots posted on social media are over an hour. Some people complained that the application process was frozen or the error message was generated.
“In general, the waiting room, queue and applicant selection process were confused,” Barkley said. “Since then, we applied lessons learned from other programs, and those lessons learned from the experience from the first window to improve our process.”
What opportunities do you have to apply for an e-bike certificate?
Barkley said it was not clear how much Californians plan to apply, but everyone has the same chance as long as the 6pm deadline was closed.
In the first drawing in December, the state submitted 1,500 vouchers and nearly 100,000 applications, according to the Air Resources Commission.
To date, the agency’s latest data has been granted 916 vouchers and 698 redeemed.
“We expect demand will be huge and it is expected to be there all the time,” Barkley said.
The plan started with $3 million to provide vouchers for purchases of 1,500 E-bikes.
Who is eligible for the program?
Applicants must be 18 years of age or older, with annual income at or below 300% of the federal poverty level.
This means that a family of one person must earn no more than $45,000 a year, while a family of two members must earn no more than $61,320 to qualify.
Times worker Andrew Campa contributed to the report.
