ISCycle2

Widening Equity in Ebike Use

Background

Existing supports to purchase an ebike in Ireland are mostly limited to people who can access the Bike-to-Work scheme through an employer. This may exclude several groups in society from experiencing the benefits of active travel, including those who are unemployed, employed on a casual basis, or retired. We are doing this research to fill some of these gaps in current practice and to understand the impacts of providing free access to an ebike.

Objectives

To collaboratively develop a long-term ebike loan programme, based on international evidence and in response to needs identified in local communities.
To deliver and evaluate the ebike loan programme among two groups: parents of school-aged children and older adults, including those who are currently excluded from the Bike-to-Work tax incentive scheme.
To study environmental aspects of ebiking, including strategies for managing ebikes at end of life, opportunities for ebike repair and reuse, geospatial impacts on ebiking, and potential emissions reductions from modal shift.

Project details

Based at University of Limerick, Ireland
Recruiting study participants in underserved community settings in Ireland
4-year project
6 work packages
Funded by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (Grant Number 23/RDD/979)

Impacts of ISCycle2

Social inclusion

Extending opportunities to trial cycling for transport to individuals who are currently excluded from existing purchasing schemes but who can stand to benefit from active travel.

Circular economy

Exploring avenues for the repair and reuse of ebikes, as well as processes for managing ebikes at end-of-life, to identify best-practice considerations for actors in the ebike lifetime chain.

Policy

Generating evidence about the potential for ebike uptake beyond the limits of the Bike-to-Work scheme, to make recommendations for more socially inclusive policies and schemes.

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