Targeting the introduction of E-bikes based on behaviour change potential and user perception

• Conventional bike-sharing schemes have been introduced in cities as an urban mobility option, reducing car usage and alleviating public transport; however, cycling shares in Göteborg is one of the lowest in Europe. Göteborg has been dedicated to increase the share of sustainable transport in the city. The Electric bicycle (E-bike), which offers a greater form of service than the conventional bicycle, then appears to be rather interesting to policy makers. This study is carried out with the goal to open the door for E-bikes in Göteborg by identifying potential for change from car users to E-bike users. First, the current situation of Swedish perception on cycling and policy were analysed with a literature review. Second, we explore whether E-bikes can remove barriers or provide the same benefit of the alternative modes for people in Göteborg. At the third phase, the geographical potential of E-bikes in Göteborg was identified on three bases: the ratio of cyclist using cars for commuting purposes, travel distance, and the barriers removed. The result suggested that E-bikes theoretically remove the barriers expressed by 53% of people in Göteborg when comparing to regular bicycles. A public E-bike pool is a good solution for overcoming the first two phases of behavioural change, by demonstrating the technology and creating a public supply of E-bikes. Hisingen is the area with the greatest potential to adopt E-biking habits, setting up an E-bike pool in Hisingen can hypothetically substitute around 5% of commuting trips done by the car users who have the capacity to cycle. For the entire Göteborg area, up to 4% of the trips less than 10 km could be replaced by E-bikes. Together with the proper policy strategy, a change towards sustainable transport mode could be realized supported by wide acceptance among the general public.

Keyword

Barriers for cycling

E-bike pool

E-bikes

Electromobility

Behavioral research

Lakes

Mass transportation

Urban transportation

Behavioural changes

Current situation

Literature reviews

Sustainable transport

Bicycles

mobility

perception

policy making

public transport

sustainable development

transportation development

transportation policy

Sweden

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

kon (subject category)