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THE BICYCLE BONUS

01/06/2020

We’ve found an interesting article in Il Sole 24 Ore that explains in detail how to obtain and use the Bicycle Bonus on offer from the Ministry of the Environment.

Happy reading!

 

While we wait for the web app that gives access to the bonus to go live (available from the Ministry of the Environment website), here is everything you need to know. Starting with Spid, the digital identity needed to receive it. With the “Rilancio” (relaunch) decree now published in the Official Gazette, all the incentives that it includes also come into force. One of these, renamed the “bike bonus” or “mobility bonus”, gives access to «a contribution worth 60 per cent of the cost involved, up to a maximum of €500, in buying bicycles – including pedal assisted types and vehicles for personal mobility mainly powered by electricity (for example scooters, hoverboards and segways) – or in using shared mobility services for individual use excluding those relating to motor vehicles». This is the official wording, also published in a series of FAQs, that appears on the website of the Ministry of the Environment, which has been assigned the responsibility for administering the bonus.

How does it work and how can I obtain the bonus?

The mobility voucher can be obtained via a specific web app or platform that is currently being developed and that will be accessible, also from the official Ministry of the Environment website, within 60 days of the interdepartmental decree implementing the mobility voucher programme being published in the Official Gazzette. To access the app you must be able to provide your Spid “Public Digital Identity System) credentials.

In the first phase (from 4 May 2020 until the day the web app goes live): recipients of the bonus will receive a refund: to obtain this they must retain proof of purchase (an invoice, not just a receipt) and attach this to the application that they will submit via the web app.

In the second phase (from the day that the web app goes live): a direct discount will be given by the supplier of the requested good/service, according to a digital purchase voucher that the recipient can generate on the web app. In practice, people accessing the bonus will need to specify the vehicle or service they intend to purchase on the web app, after which the platform will generate the digital purchase voucher to be handed over to the authorised supplier so that the vehicle or service can be received.

Who can apply?

The mobility voucher for 2020 is available to adults residing (not domiciled) in regional capitals (including those with less than 50,000 inhabitants), in provincial capitals (including those with less than 50,000 inhabitants), in municipalities with over 50,000 inhabitants (according to ISTAT figures as at 1 January 2019) and in the municipalities of the 14 metropolitan cities: Bari, Bologna, Cagliari, Catania, Florence, Genoa, Messina, Milan, Naples, Palermo, Reggio Calabria, Rome, Rome, Turin, Venice. The list of municipalities (including those with less than 50,000 inhabitants) in the metropolitan cities mentioned above is available on the relevant institutional websites.

What can I buy?

New or used bicycles, both traditional and pedal-assisted; new or used handbikes (i.e. bikes propelled with the arms); new or used vehicles for personal mobility mainly propelled by electricity, cited in article 33-bis of Legislative Decree 162/2019, converted with amendments by law 8/2020 (for example: scooters, hoverboards, segways); shared mobility services for individual use excluding those relating to motor vehicles. It appears, therefore, that subscriptions to bike and electric scooter sharing services can be paid for with the bonus, even if the mechanism for doing so (and the amount that can be saved) is unclear: an annual subscription to Bikemi – the City of Milan’s bike sharing service – costs just 36 euro.

What are the characteristics required of a scooter?

Firstly it must be electric. Push scooters do not seem to be included. The specific legislative context is the most recent “Decreto Milleproroghe”, which established an equivalence between electric scooters and bicycles.

The resulting “Traffic Police Circular regulating experimentation also for segways, hoverboards, and monowheels” provides some technical specifications for the electric scooters in question: they must have an electric motor with a continuous rated power of no more than 0.50 kW (500 watts); they must not have a seat for the user because they are intended to be used in a standing position; they must be fitted with a speed limiter making it impossible to exceed 25 km/h on the road and 6 km/h when moving in pedestrian areas; they must have bell for acoustic signals; they must bear the «CE» stamp; they must have specific components for electric scooters; from half an hour after sunset, throughout the period of darkness, and during the day if weather conditions necessitate illumination, they must be fitted with white or yellow lights at the front and red lights and red reflectors at the back for visual signals – failing this they cannot be used but must be wheeled or carried by hand.

How much time is there to apply for and use the bonus?

The mobility voucher can be used for purchases made from 4 May 2020 to 31 December 2020. The purchase vouchers generated by the specific Ministry of the Environment platform (which is not yet ready at the time of writing) must be used within 30 days of being generated, after which they expire.

Is it possible to buy online?

Yes, from both Italian and foreign websites. In all circumstances it is obligatory to obtain an invoice. This can also be in English but must contain all the details required of an Italian invoice.

Can I buy from any store?

People who buy a bicycle or personal mobility vehicle before the ministry’s platform goes live (and who then request a refund) can do so at any store. The essential requirement is that an invoice is issued. Those who apply for and receive a voucher from the Ministry of Environment’s live platform can spend it at participating stores, a list of which will be available on the platform itself.

Is the fund for the bike bonus unlimited?

No. The “Rilancio” decree modifies article 2, paragraph 1 of the already mentioned legislative decree no. 111, 2019 which sets up a fund called the “experimental good mobility programme” financing the purchase of bicycles or public transport season tickets by people who decide to scrap a car or moped «until available funds are exhausted». The fund for 2020 amounts to 70 million euro. To which the “Rilancio” decree adds «a further 50 million for the year 2020».

 

Source: IL SOLE 24 ORE

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