E-Cargo Bikes as a Personal Transport Mode in the UK: Insights from National Surveys and Suburban Trials

This paper explores the potential of e-cargo bikes as a personal transport mode in the UK, reporting on a series of surveys and trials. Our survey of 2,000 English adults indicated that while only 3% of adults were using an e-cargo bike at least once a month, 11% of non-users saw themselves as someone who might ride an e-cargo bike, rising to 20% in places with a strong cycling culture. Compared to non-users, e-cargo-bike users had similar levels of household car ownership, but were less likely to be frequent car users and more likely to undertake recommended amounts of physical activity. Trials were run in suburban areas of 3 UK cities. 49 households were loaned an e-cargo bike for a month in summer 2023, and 11 of these households borrowed bikes again the following winter. Summer trial households cycled approximately 8,000km (38-42km per household per week) with over 50% of the distance travelled replacing car use. Advantages of use included mental and physical health benefits and being able to cycle ‘as a family’. Issues identified as requiring policy attention included purchase costs, theft, negative perceptions of battery safety and lack of infrastructure. By Autumn 2024, 10 trial households had bought e-cargo bikes. The study demonstrated that for some people, at certain life stages, e-cargo bikes represent a realistic and desirable form of mobility, with the potential to reduce car use and associated emissions. E-cargo bikes can thus play in an important role in the transition to more sustainable mobility.