Electronic bikes (e-bikes) continue to be on the rise, according to a recent study by the University of British Columbia’s Research on Active Transportation Lab (REACT).
The latest study look place with help from the District of Saanich’s e-bike rebate incentive program and showed that after a year with their e-bikes, most users continued to use their bikes as a substitute for car travel.
The program, which took place from 2021-22 included three different rebates that were offered based off income. The basic rebate allowed riders to claim $350, while the rebate for low-income households that could claim $1,600.
In this timeframe, the use of e-bikes surged 93 per cent while 60 per cent were new cycliers altogether.
“The larger incentives aimed at lower-income families did a great job getting new riders in the saddle and gave them a lower-cost alternative to using their cars,” said Dr. Alex Bigazzi, lead investigator at UBC’s REACT Lab.
According to research, eight out of 10 participants who received the largest rebate would only have purchased an e-bike with the subsidy, while only two out of 10 would have purchased an e-bike with a $350 incentive.
One year after purchasing their e-bikes, participants in the research said they reduced their weekly car travel by 48 kilometres, a 30-40 per cent reduction.
“The incentive not only encouraged people to switch to e-bikes, it also resulted in remarkable changes in travel behaviour that persisted long after the purchase,” said Dr. Bigazzi.
The reduction in driving saw a reduction in travel-related greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 16 kilometres of carbon dioxide a year later.
Despite common criticism of the high costs associated with e-bike incentives, the Saanich rebate program was competitive with other transportation subsidies in Canada, costing approximately $190 to $720 per tonne of greenhouse gas emissions.
“This suggests that e-bike incentives are more cost-effective in reducing emissions compared to electric car incentives, and that’s without including a range of cycling-related benefits such as increased physical activity, reduced local air pollutants and decreased travel costs,” Dr. Bigazzi said.
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