Electric bicycles (e-bikes) are a mode of transportation with the potential to displace driving and so provide benefits related to emissions, physical activity, traffic congestion, travel costs, and more. The potential benefits have led to the advancement of various e-bike promotion programs and policies, some of which incorporate an equity dimension to program design. In addition to consideration of the distribution of program benefits, income-conditional incentives can improve program effectiveness because lower-income households are expected to be more price-sensitive. To date, we have little empirical evidence of the real-world impacts of e-bike incentive programs. We know that the effects of e-bike adoption on travel behaviour are highly heterogeneous and contextual. We do not yet know how income-dependent e-bike incentives intersect with existing transportation inequities, and hence how they may serve to enhance (or undercut) equity goals for transportation systems.
This study examines the impacts of a province-wide e-bike purchase incentive program implemented in British Columbia in the summer of 2023.
| Spring 2023 | Study design |
| Summer-Fall 2023 | Wave 1 of survey |
| Winter-Spring 2024 | Wave 2 of survey |
| Summer 2024 | Analysis and interim report |
| Fall 2024 | Wave 3 of survey |
| Winter-Spring 2025 | Analysis and final report |