Shared Micromobility leaders urge support of Bicycle Commuter Act 2019
The North American Bikeshare Association (NABSA) has applauded a new bill introduced on 5th March which promotes multi-modal commuting by reinstating and modifying the Bicycle Commuter Tax Benefit.
The bill, named the Bicycle Commuter Act 2019, would expand the benefit to include traditional and electric bike-share options.
In addition to bike-share eligibility and allowing multi-modal benefits, the revised bill includes a pre-tax wage benefit for employees instead of a reimbursement, and the opportunity for employees to receive a bike benefit up to 20% of the existing parking benefit.
A new amendment was made to the bill regarding the definition of bike-sharing, now defined: “The term ‘bike-share’ means a bicycle rental operation at which bicycles are made available to customers to pick up and drop off for point-to-point use within a defined geographic area.”
According to NABSA, this policy integrates bike-share further into the fabric of public transportation options, making bike-share more accessible for everyone.
Founded in 2014, NABSA is the member-driven non-profit organisation of and for the bike-sharing industry in North America, its mission to provide support for the bike-share community and accelerate the growth of bike-share systems across North America and the world.
At the start of this year, the organisation announced the date of its annual conference in Indianapolis, which will bring together leaders and professionals in shared micro-mobility, this September.