West Trans are looking to expand their e-bike programme.
Electric bikes now account for over a third of bicyle sales in Germany, with the Netherlands and Holland not far behind. These countries have embraced the convenience of the e-bike, and its potential to expand cycling to people who wouldn’t, or couldn’t, ride a standard bicycle.
However, e-bike popularity is very low in the UK, despite the benefits they can provide to older people, people recovering from injuries or illness, people who want to cycle but live in a hilly area, commuters, and many others. They also have potential for business use, especially e-cargo bikes.
They are hopeful that running this trial will encourage greater adoption of e-bikes, and wider cycling, particularly for groups who have low cycling levels at the moment.
To encourage the take-up of e-bikes in West London, and to gauge the different uses they could serve, WestTrans is running a trial. This will initially involve providing free e-bikes to employees of businesses in West London to use to get to and from work, and for site visits. Contact Emily Shovlar: ShovlarE@ealing.gov.uk if you’re interested.
