On May 26, Reps. Mike Thompson (D-CA) and Vern Buchanan (R-FL), co-chairs of the Congressional Bike Caucus, introduced the America Bikes Act (H.R. 9041). This broad, bipartisan package on bike safety, infrastructure, and manufacturing includes two provisions that would directly impact shared micromobility.

A commuter benefit that covers shared micromobility 

The 2017 tax law suspended the old bicycle commuting benefit, and last year’s tax law made that suspension permanent. The America Bikes Act would bring the benefit back and make it much larger. The old version was a flat $20 a month, while the one proposed is tied to 30 percent of the monthly transit benefit cap. At the 2026 cap of $340, that comes out to about $102 a month, or roughly $1,200 a year.

The benefit applies to “qualified commuting properties,” which includes bikes, electric bikes, and electric scooters that cap out around 20 mph and weigh under 100 pounds. It says rentals count, “including a bikeshare,” and defines bikeshare as “a rental operation at which qualified commuting property is made available to customers to pick up and drop off for point-to-point use within a defined geographic area.” 

A new grant program

The bill also stands up a new competitive grant program at USDOT, built specifically around connecting biking and transit. The new Bicycle Transit Integration Grant Program would be used to develop bicycle parking at transit stations and expand bicycle sharing programs, which as defined, would include scootershare as well.

The America Bikes Act treats shared bikes and scooters as real transportation, puts money behind connecting them to transit, and gives riders a genuine reason to choose them for the daily commute. NABSA members can track this legislation, as well as other state and federal legislation impacting shared micromobility, on our US Bill Tracker.