A new study finds government incentives for e-bike purchases encourage greater use and offer financial and physical and mental health benefits for riders.
Dr. Alex Bigazzi, an associate professor of civil engineering at the University of BC, led a survey of 1004 participants in the BC Electric Bike Rebate Program.
The program was launched by the Ministry of Transportation and Transit in June of 2023, offering rebates of $350 to $1,400, depending on the applicant’s income, which reduced e-bike purchase costs by 43 per cent, with the greatest benefits going to lower-income households.
“People saved quite a bit of money on average, ” Dr Bigazzi says, “around a 12 per cent reduction in their weekly travel costs, which is often typically the second largest expenditure after housing.”
Sixty per cent of recipients told researchers they would not have bought an e-bike without the rebate, and the program encouraged purchases among recipients with lower incomes.
A year after getting an e-bike the owners had increased use by an average of 40 kilometres per week, and reduced motor vehicle use by 17 kilometres per week.
The study found participants most often swapped out a car journey for an e-bike ride, particularly for commuting, errands and shopping.
Exercise and leisure trips made up a smaller share of e-bike use, especially among lower-income recipients.
The study found e-bike users liked having a new way of moving about for daily tasks and reported better mental and physical health from using e-bikes.
“We found a wide distribution of trip purchases,” Dr Bigazzi says, “some people were doing commuting, people were using it for shopping or errands, or special recreational trips, as well as just exercise and leisure trips.”
However, most of the trips were to work, shopping, or doing other daily tasks.
Study co-investigator, Dr Meghan Winters of Simon Fraser University, says “e-bikes bring benefits to users in cost, mobility and physical activity,” and there are additional societal benefits, such as reduced emissions, replacement of car trips, and generated revenue.
The study found the $6.5 million in rebates generated $8.7 million in retailer revenue and estimates the almost 5,000 rebate recipients saved approximately $2.3 million in travel costs annually despite an overall increase in the amount of weekly travel.
Bigazzi says they recommend BC’s rebate program shift eligibility from personal to household income to reach those who need it most, partner with employers to target commuters, prioritize regions with limited public transit, and adjust rebate values to improve cost efficiency while keeping e-bikes accessible to low-income households.
