Federal grant boosts funding for SF e-bike food delivery pilot program

To lessen the carbon footprint of food delivery vehicles, the San Francisco Environment Department is expanding its e-bike food delivery pilot program after city officials announced earlier this month that the Department of Energy awarded the department a $600,000 grant.

The federal grant builds upon a $2.4 million state grant the department received last year from the California Energy Commission to jumpstart the program this summer for up to 30 individual participants. The Mayor’s Office said the federal will grant more than double the number of participants in the pilot program.

Tyrone Jue, director of the San Francisco Environment, said in a press statement:

“The expanded program is a win-win for our city. It helps our delivery workers earn more income, reduces traffic and pollution, and supports our climate goals.”

Additionally, the federal grant will allow for safety educational training as well as the collection of data during the pilot program. The Mayor’s Office said the data collection and analysis will look at outcomes of e-bike riders versus delivery drivers, including income, information about the trips and total work time. The department will also be assessing whether the pilot program lessens traffic congestion and reduces emissions in the transportation sector.

Mayor London Breed said in a press statement:

“This pilot is an example of how we are utilizing innovation to help create solutions that are working towards our Climate Action Plan, reducing congestion on our streets, and supporting workers in San Francisco.”

The city has a goal in the San Francisco Climate Action Plan of hitting 80 percent of trips taken in the city by walking, biking or taking public transit.

With the state funding, the department began the pilot program with its first participants in the summer and lasted through September. A second round of participants started in September and will last through January of next year.

Participants funded through the federal grant will begin making e-bike food deliveries in the spring of next year. The department said they will choose potential participants through a pool of applicants who applied in the spring of this year as well as opening applications next spring.

Those applying will need to be a San Francisco resident, be at least 18 years of age at the time of the start of the program and be able to work as a delivery worker for one of the app-based food delivery services, such as GrubHub, Uber Eats or DoorDash. Participants must commit to working at least 20 hours a week during a four-month timeframe.

More information about on how to participate in the pilot program can be found on the San Francisco Environment website.