Abstract Manager

E-bikes have the potential to expand access to active transportation, with both climate and health benefits through travel mode shift away from automobiles. E-bikes provide greater accessibility than conventional bikes, making active transportation an option for a wider range of people. E-bike rebate programs can increase e-bike uptake and use, but must be carefully designed to ensure that they are reaching those most in need of the financial support, and that they lead to a net increase in active transportation. This ensures that the health benefits of e-bikes are distributed equitably. The District of Saanich in British Columbia, Canada, worked with researchers at the University of British Columbia to design an income-tiered e-bike rebate program based on best practices and behaviour change research, with a strong evaluation component. The success of the Saanich program led to the Province of BC adapting and scaling the program for provincial implementation, with an extremely popular launch in summer 2023. The provincial program was the first province-level income-tiered e-bike rebate program in Canada, and included the provision of e-bike education to incentivize uptake and support user safety. In this presentation, the practitioners and researchers who led these programs discuss the process of design and implementation, and the results from a study of long-term program impacts on travel, physical activity, and greenhouse gas emissions from transportation. The 12-month panel study compared incentive recipients with non-incentivized conventional and electric bicycle purchasers. Results show that the income-tiered e-bike incentives were effective in increasing e-bike adoption and provided health benefits by shifting travel out of automobiles, with greater marginal benefits per program dollar at higher rebate amounts. The rebates successfully attracted new purchasers who were not already cycling, in contrast to the non-incentivized purchasers. Recommendations are provided for governments considering implementation of income-conditioned e-bike purchase incentives as a strategy with the potential to jointly advance equity, health, and climate goals.