Published: March 2025 | Category: Inclusive access , Research programme , Research & reports | Audience: General
This research was commissioned under the 2021 Government Policy Statement on Land Transport. This study reviewed transport-equity-focused e-bike support schemes from around the world, and evaluated a long-term e-bike loan scheme pilot in New Zealand.
It found that e-bike support programmes have an important role to play in broadening individuals’ and communities’ access to cycling, including in areas where there may be significant barriers to cycling, such as hills, low previous rates of cycling, and cost and affordability barriers.
The review of international e-bike support schemes found they show promise for expanding people’s access to e-bikes. Schemes that offered financial incentives and those that loaned e-bikes to participants were major models used, with the latter appearing particularly effective for targeting people who do not currently cycle.
In the e-bike loan scheme pilot evaluated, 25 e-bikes were loaned to Māori and Pacific adults living in Wainuiomata, a hilly suburban community close to Wellington in New Zealand, for 12 months. Participants were provided with cycling equipment, skills training and mechanical support throughout the duration of the pilot. The research team then conducted a qualitative evaluation of the pilot, using pre-programme focus groups and interviews with individual participants after 6 and 12 months.
The evaluation showed that participants e-biked both for recreation and for transport. E-biking supported participants’ cultural identity, access to natural environments, and physical and mental health. It also reduced transport costs and provided an affordable form of recreation. Many participants reported cycling as a family with their children, and lending their e-bike to friends and whānau members who were not in the programme.
An important factor in the pilot’s success was that it was run through an urban marae and associated health provider, which many of the participants already accessed services through. Major barriers to e-biking noted in the pilot included security concerns and traffic.
The study concluded that e-bikes are acceptable to communities with transport disadvantage and low rates of cycling.
Keywords:
active transport; affordable transport; cycle skills training; cycling; e-bike, e-bike incentive; e-bike loan scheme; electric bicycle; evaluation; feasibility study; health benefits; health promotion; Māori; marae; mode shift; pilot study; Te Pae Māhutonga; transport disadvantage; transport equity
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