Suggested Citation:
Handy, Susan L. and Dillon T. Fitch-Polse (2020)

Can an E-bike Share System Increase Awareness and Consideration of E-bikes as a Commute Mode? Results from a Natural Experiment

Electric-assisted bicycles (e-bikes) may encourage commuters to shift from car to bike by improving perceptions of bicycling safety and increasing destination accessibility. Awareness of e-bikes is an important first step toward more widespread adoption. This article uses a natural experiment design to examine the impact of the implementation of an e-bike share system in Davis, CA, on awareness of e-bikes and consideration of the use of e-bikes for commuting. We use data from three cross-sectional surveys of employees at the University of California, Davis, to estimate the effect of the opening of the e-bike system on changes in awareness and consideration and examine other important factors associated with these outcomes. The results suggest that a shared e-bike system can substantially increase awareness of e-bikes, but that additional strategies may be needed to convert awareness into consideration of the use of e-bikes for commuting.

Key words: bicycle commuting, bike share, e-bicycling, e-bikes, electric-assisted bicycles