The impacts of e-bike adoption on attitudes and travel behaviour – a longitudinal investigation using the Swiss Mobility Panel

Abstract

As e-bike ownership and use grow in Europe and beyond, mass adoption could represent a substantial shift in how people travel and how they perceive cycling. While much of the research on e-bikes has focused on substitution effects with other modes, notably the car, this paper investigates how adoption affects cycling practices. Using three waves of the Swiss Mobility Panel from 2020 to 2025, we apply a random-intercept cross-lagged panel model (RI-CLPM) to estimate the effects of switching from a conventional bike to an e-bike on cycling frequency and cycling attitudes. Because the RI-CLPM disentangles between-person and within-person effects, the results confirm that those who adopt e-bikes increase their cycling frequency and develop more positive cycling attitudes. Furthermore, these effects grow stronger over time. These findings suggest that even among current cyclists, e-bikes can further expand cycling practices.