Rebates for buying e-bikes and e-scooters are good but unlikely to greatly boost sustainable transport on their own

Queensland has joined Tasmania because the second Australian state or territory to supply a A$500 rebate for consumers of latest e‑bikes. The pre-election announcement features a smaller $200 rebate for e‑scooters.

The Queensland e‑mobility rebate scheme is first come, first served, till its $2 million price range ($1 million was added final week) is used up. The Tasmanian scheme has closed because of this.

These schemes observe a pattern of presidency incentives to purchase e‑bikes in North America and Europe. The Australian schemes differ from most schemes abroad by together with e‑scooters too.

It is a welcome transfer to advertise sustainable transport. These private transport gadgets have smaller environmental footprints to supply and function than electric cars. Proudly owning e‑bikes or e‑scooters can allow folks to drive much less—lowering congestion and emissions—and keep away from excessive gasoline prices.

Nevertheless, my analysis and different research recommend possession would not assure a lot higher use. Extra measures might be wanted to spice up use of those sustainable transport modes.

Why personal e-bikes or e-scooters when you possibly can share?

The rebate is more likely to increase retailers’ gross sales. More than 860 rebate applications have been acquired inside three days of the scheme beginning on September 23.

And present homeowners now have an incentive to improve or substitute fashions. They could then promote their pre-loved e‑bikes or e‑scooters on the second-hand market. This implies others might get them extra cheaply.

Queensland was the primary Australian state to legalize using e‑scooters in 2018, when Brisbane launched shared e‑scooter operations. Regional cities reminiscent of Townsville and Cairns launched related schemes. Dockless e‑bikes later changed Brisbane’s preliminary CityCycle bike-sharing scheme.

I lately carried out research to grasp why South-East Queensland residents need to personal e‑scooters. The examine strategies have been corresponding to an earlier e‑bike person survey.

Each units of householders cite changing automotive use as their prime cause for possession. Nevertheless, their motivations differ.

E‑scooter homeowners are primarily pushed by the lower cost and the enjoyable issue of using. E‑bike homeowners focus extra on health and the health benefits of getting some train when using. Australian laws require e‑bikes to be pedal-assisted.

However does this imply folks will experience extra?

Since 2022, the Queensland authorities has supplied a rebate of as much as $6,000 for purchasing full-sized electrical autos (that scheme closed final month). It now seems to have responded to calls to do the identical for e‑bikes and e‑scooters.

Patrons definitely will not thoughts freebies and rebates, however rebate-induced possession may not enhance general use by a lot.

An Australia-wide survey in 2023 discovered 57% of respondents had entry to at the least one working bicycle at residence and this proportion has been rising. Nevertheless, solely 15% reported using within the earlier week. Solely 36.7% had ridden up to now yr.

General biking participation has declined over the previous decade, besides through the COVID pandemic when work and journey patterns were more local. For all intervals, males are significantly more likely to cycle than ladies.

The identical 2023 survey revealed solely about 2.1% personal e‑bikes. The rebate will possible enhance this charge in Queensland.

Some preliminary evidence suggests e‑bike customers experience extra typically and additional than these using non-electric bikes. It additionally helps older people get into biking. And it has the potential to interchange automotive use even in rural areas.

Regardless of e‑bikes providing benefits over conventional bikes, riders of each face obstacles to higher use, reminiscent of street security and poor biking infrastructure.

What sorts of incentives do different nations supply?

Australian policymakers ought to think about providing incentives to make sure the brand new purchases are effectively used, not sitting idle more often than not.

The UK has a long-standing cycle-to-work scheme that provides commuters a tax exemption for purchasing bicycles or e‑bikes.

Within the Netherlands, incentive schemes have used smartphone expertise to trace their mileage. For instance, within the B-Riders scheme, riders earn €0.08–0.15 (A$0.13–0.21) per kilometer. There was a 68% increase in e‑bike use by former automotive commuters after one month and 73% enhance after six months of participation.

Schemes in North America are usually geared toward lower-income households. They’re extra more likely to be involuntarily carlessso e‑bikes can enhance their entry to jobs, items and providers.

There are alternate options to rebates. North Vancouver, for instance, is trialing e‑cargo bike lending to interchange automotive buying journeys, as these cumbersome bikes should not sensible for each family to personal.

In France, residents can declare a motorbike or e‑bike subsidy of as much as €2,000 (A$3,210). Second-hand devices offered by approved repairers are lined too, which is probably going to assist scale back e‑waste. Australian schemes up to now solely cowl new purchases.

What extra may be completed?

For e‑bike and e‑scooter homeowners, the principle barrier to riding more is the dearth of secure and well-connected infrastructure. Numerous studies have related charges of using to the standard and amount of infrastructure. In depth, high-quality and secure biking networks can ship lasting shifts in the direction of sustainable transport.

When the Spanish metropolis of Seville constructed such networks, cycling rates surged 11-fold in a couple of years.

Within the Netherlands, this infrastructure is so well-funded and in depth that it is no shock cycling is popular there.

Riders do not simply want bikeways. Additionally they want end-of-trip amenities with safe parking (and possibly free charging too).

In Australia, biking will get solely round 2% of transport funding.

In Brisbane, regardless of not being anyplace near the European degree of biking infrastructure, new “green bridges” and bikeways might be expanded to extra areas of town (and different Queensland venues). It is a part of preparations to host “climate-positive” Olympic and Paralympic Video games in 2032. This yr’s video games host, Paris, efficiently upgraded infrastructure and boosted biking charges.

One other advantage of extra riders on the streets is that it creates “safety in numbers.” Better numbers would additionally assist entice extra funding for infrastructure that makes biking and scooting safer and extra engaging.

Each e‑bikes and e‑scooters are already worthwhile investments. Utilizing them typically would free your self from car dependence—and that is good for the planet and your pockets.

This text is republished from The Conversation underneath a Inventive Commons license. Learn the original article.