“If they were actively trying to sabotage the program, what would they do differently than this?” – anonymous e-bike voucher hopeful in an email to Streetsblog.
Last night, the California E-Bike Incentive Project was scheduled to open their portal for applicants to apply for the second round of e-bike vouchers. Sadly, applicants were locked out as the website had “technical issues” that prevented some people from entering the queue (a combination of waiting room and lottery). So the administrators decided to delay the portal opening to an unspecified future date.
Streetsblog received a half-dozen emails complaining about last night’s crash, but you can get a sample for the feeling from potential applicants at this Reddit thread.
Delays are nothing new for the beleaguered program. It was first authorized by legislation in 2019 and funded in 2021, yet the first round of vouchers weren’t delivered until December of last year. In the meantime, frustration with the wait grew and the contractor for the program, Pedal Ahead, has been caught in multiple scandals involving fraud charges against their formal director.
In the December launch, demand far outstripped the supply of vouchers and most hopefuls were left with a sour taste in their mouth. Some of those that didn’t receive a voucher complained of long wait times just to find out they weren’t selected or accused the application website of crashing or locking them out. Even those that did receive a voucher found the process confusing and frustrating.
CARB staff denied that the website had crashed last year and said they considered the first launch a success. However, they did promise changes this time around, most notably a lottery system to select applicants instead of a first-come, first-serve system.
The program needed a win last night, and set the stage with a media blitz. Over the past few weeks, stories appeared in print, television, and online news outlets up and down the state.
But instead of a win, the program got more egg on its face.
Streetsblog has reached out to Pedal Ahead and CARB staff and will update this story when we hear back from them.
