E-cargo bikes as a personal transport mode in the UK: insights from 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. Hypothesising that early adoption of this niche mode was geodemographically skewed, we carried out a nationally-representative survey which showed that living in London, being aged 18–34 and being a less frequent car user were associated with e-cargo bike use. Additionally, we used an empirical mixed methods approach to understand what level of usage might be achieved via a supported trial in areas outside London which were relatively car-dependent. 49 households were loaned an e-cargo bike for a month in summer 2023, in suburbs of Leeds, Brighton and Oxford. Eleven of these households borrowed e-cargo bikes again the following winter. By Autumn 2024, 10 trial households had bought e-cargo bikes. High usage was achieved in the trials, with summer trial households cycling approximately 8000 km (38–42 km per household per week) with over 50 % of the distance travelled replacing car use. This work revealed a range of advantages of use as well as issues to address, including purchase costs, theft, negative perceptions of battery safety and a lack of e-cargo-bike appropriate infrastructure. The study demonstrated that there are current non-adopter groups of people in the UK for whom e-cargo bikes represent a realistic and desirable form of mobility, with the potential to reduce car use and associated emissions, and with possible benefits for health and family activities.