Evaluation of an Electric Bike Pilot Project at Three Employment Campuses in Portland, Oregon

This paper examines preliminary results of an electric bike (e-bike) pilot project, which took place April 2014–September 2015 in the Portland region. Participants from three Kaiser Permanente Northwest campuses (1 urban and 2 suburban) were issued an e-bike for 10 weeks to use for various trip purposes, focusing on first/last-mile commuting. Participants were asked to complete three surveys—before, during and after using the e-bike—to evaluate how their perceptions and levels of cycling may have changed. Responses were analyzed using statistical software and a global information system (GIS). Results show that participants biked more often and to a wider variety of places than before the study; they become more confident cyclists after the study; and they cited fewer barriers to cycling when given the opportunity to use an e-bike, particularly for overcoming hills and reducing sweat. This study’s preliminary findings support the general hypothesis that e-bikes enable users to bike to more distant locations, bike more frequently and allow a broader participation in cycling by certain segments of the population through reducing barriers to cycling. Further research is needed to understand how e-bikes might replace other modes of transportation, including standard bicycles, vehicles and public transit.