HEaLth iMpact of E-bikes and e-scooTers

Regular physical activity helps to prevent a range of chronic diseases and reduces all-cause mortality. Increased active travel has been associated with higher overall physical activity. While e-bikes are a form of active travel, the level of direct and incidental physical activity associated with e-scooter use is less clear. Both e-bikes and e-scooters may influence active travel behaviour and overall physical activity.

In the UK, e-bikes are legal and considered bicycles in the eyes of the law. E-scooters, unless part of a government pilot scheme, are currently illegal and are classed as motor vehicles. The government has extended e-scooter hire schemes multiple times, citing the need for more information before deciding whether to legalise private e-scooters.

The purpose of this project is to understand the impact of e-bike (EB) and e-bike plus e-scooter (EB+ES) share hire schemes on public health, social, economic, and environmental factors. During Autumn 2023, Bristol added e-bikes to their existing e-scooter share hire scheme, and Leeds introduced an e-bike only share hire scheme. We will use a natural experiment design to evaluate these schemes, using a controlled before-after cross-sectional design, with some repeated measures, along with qualitative interviews, with the following research objectives:

1. Examine changes in physical activity and travel mode (modal shift) resulting from the introduction of an e-bike share hire scheme into cities with and without prior e-scooter hire schemes (Work package (WP) 1).

2. Explore users’ knowledge, perceptions and use of EB and EB+ES share hire schemes and strategies that could increase use across all socio-economic groups (WP2).

3. Understand the energy demands of using an e-scooter in the context of a share hire scheme (WP3).

4. Estimate carbon savings associated with EB and EB+ES share hire schemes (WP4).

5. Understand collision risks associated with EB, ES and EB+ES share hire schemes (WP5).

6. Assess costs and benefits of EB share hire schemes from a public sector perspective (WP6).

7. Co-produce guidance for policymakers and service providers on the use of e-bike and e-scooter schemes (WP7).


We collected baseline data in Leeds (EB) and Bristol (EB+ES) (intervention sites) and Sheffield and Bradford (control sites) in August/September 2023 before the launch of these schemes. We also collected follow-up data in August/September 2024 in all four sites, plus Plymouth (EB) and Bath (EB+ES) for triangulation. This will be a 24-month project starting in January 2025.

Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) has been integral to the design of this study, with planned PPI input and representation during this project. Two PPI representatives and a local authority transport planner will be part of the research team. Our steering committee consists of academics, PPI members, and members from Sustrans (https://www.sustrans.org.uk/) and an independent local authority.

Policy and practice impact will be through a co-produced lay report and policy brief shared with local government, the Department for Transport and via industry platforms. Community engagement will be via an infographic, video and two public dissemination events. Academic impact will be through peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations.

Physical activity is important for physical and mental health. Walking or cycling between places is one way to be physically active. E-bikes are pedal bikes which have a battery to make cycling easier, especially on hills, whilst still maintaining a level of physical activity. Using e-bikes could be a good option to increase physical activity, but we need more scientific evidence. E-scooters run on batteries, meaning you don’t have to push them. E-scooters may decrease physical activity if people use them instead of walking or cycling.

The government has not yet decided whether to legalise the private use of e-scooters. The government has been testing e-scooter share hire schemes in some parts of the UK since 2020. People can pay to use them for trips within each of these areas. While certain types of e-bikes are currently legal in the UK, they can be expensive to buy and tricky to store safely at home. Being able to pay to use them only when they are needed may encourage greater use.

We don't know whether people’s travel choices change when e-bike and e-scooter share hire schemes are available. For example, do people who would have driven before or taken a bus, choose to take an e-bike or e-scooter instead? Do people who would have walked before, choose to take an e-scooter instead? This would impact on physical activity levels. We don’t know how much physical activity you get from using e-scooters. We also do not know the impact of e-bike and e-scooter schemes on the environment and if they reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emissions, which affects climate change. E-bike and e-scooter share hire schemes may increase or decrease road accidents. Having this information would enable local and national governments to make better choices. Information about value for money could also help them to decide whether to encourage e-bike and e-scooter use.

Bristol added e-bikes to their e-scooter share hire scheme in the autumn of 2023. At the same time Leeds introduced an e-bike only share hire scheme. We conducted a survey of residents in Bristol and Leeds during the summer of 2023, to understand if these hire schemes changed how active people were or how they travelled. We asked residents of Bradford and Sheffield the same questions so we could compare to cities without these share hire schemes. We repeated the survey in summer 2024. This will allow us to compare the answers and see if the hire schemes changed how active people were or how they travelled. We will also ask people how they feel about such share hire schemes. We will check how much activity people get when using a hire scheme e-scooter. We will look at whether the number of accidents change when these hire schemes start or stop. We will assess the costs and benefits, and their environmental impact. Finally, we plan to work with a range of groups to create guidelines to help councils and the government make decisions on how to promote e-bikes and e-scooters in the future.

We have worked with members of the public and local Councils to design this study. Members of the public and local authority-based colleagues’ have been involved in all parts of the project. We plan to continue working with these groups. This will help project findings to be as useful as possible to the public and to policy makers.