While the e-bike converts are taking over our streets, many people in Tasmania still haven’t ridden one or know much about them.
One of the barriers to getting more people riding e-bikes is the purchase cost and lack of opportunities to try them.
Even when someone tries an e-bike it’s still a big move to spend $7000 on a new cargo e-bike after only trying it for a few minutes.
In Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane you can now lease an e-bike month by month, but these companies are not planning to set up in Tasmania because of our smaller population.
Likewise, the e-scooter company Beam offers e-bikes in other states, but not in Tasmania.
University of Tasmania and MONA staff have the option of salary sacrificing an e-bike through the leasing company Sparque, but other employers have been slow to offer similar benefits to their staff.
The Climate Council ran a survey in 2022 asking people what they really wanted in transport options and found 64% would be interested in trying an e-bike if it was free.
In Melbourne some councils have covered the cost of a month’s e-bike hire for residents who can then choose to keep hiring the bike or giving it up.
Libraries on wheels
Another way of helping people understand the benefits of e-bikes is to loan them one for 2–4 weeks so they can see how it would fit in with their lives before taking the plunge and buying one for themselves.
These are commonly referred to as bike libraries and operate in the UK, the US, New Zealand, as well as a local example in Canberra.
Most of these programs are funded by governments working with local partners and in some cases the e-bike industry.
The Canberra library has been running for more than three years and offers 19 different types of e-bikes for hire for 2 weeks, including several cargo styles, a folding bike and a three-wheeler.
In its first year of operation 82% of people who loaned an e-bike said they intended to buy one and 37% said they were going to buy one straight away.
The UK scheme operates from multiple venues and is a 4-week loan with an optional riding skills workshop before people hire.
While in the US state of Vermont there are fixed sites with bikes for loan, as well as a mobile library that travels around the smaller towns, which may be a good model for Tasmania to emulate.
Bicycle Network has raised the e-bike concept with state and local governments as Tasmanians don’t have the same access to short-term e-bike rentals as people in other states. We have had some interest in the idea and will continue to sound out prospective funders and partners so that Tasmanians get a chance to experience how an e-bike could change their lives.