# Understanding the Bicycles for Rural African Transport Act

This bill creates a new program within the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) focused on getting bicycles to people living in rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa. The basic idea is straightforward: bicycles can help people in remote communities reach schools, health clinics, and job opportunities that might otherwise be too far away to access regularly. Instead of USAID running this directly, the program will give money to nonprofit organizations that already have experience working with bicycles in these regions and know what works best locally.

The program goes beyond just handing out bikes. It also funds support systems to make bicycles actually useful long-term, like training local mechanics to fix them, helping communities get spare parts, and working to break down cultural barriers that might prevent certain groups—particularly women and girls—from using bicycles. The bill recognizes that simply distributing bikes won't solve the problem if there's no way to maintain them or if social attitudes discourage their use.

The funding starts at $3 million per year for 2024 and 2025, then increases to $6 million for 2026 and 2027, and grows to $12 million annually from 2028 onward. The bill also requires USAID to report back to Congress about what they've already done with bicycle programs in previous years and to keep reporting annually on how the new program is working, including how many bikes are distributed and what impact they're having on people's lives. For American taxpayers, this represents a modest international development investment focused on a practical solution to a real problem: helping rural Africans overcome the challenge of distance.

Bicycles for Rural African Transport Act

Blumenauer, Earl

Bicycles for Rural African Transport Act This bill provides statutory authority for the U.S. Agency for International Development to administer a bicycle mobility program in rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa. The purpose of the program is to (1) promote rural communities' access to critical services and opportunities by means of affordable bicycles; and (2) provide support to sustainably increase access to critical services in rural areas, including through support for rural-based mechanics, access to spare parts, and reduction of social and gender-based stigma. To the greatest extent practicable, the program must partner with overseas entities that have successful models for providing access to affordable bicycles.