Examining the Effects of a Bike and E-Bike Lending Program on Commuting Behavior

Abstract:

In 2015, Google added a new transportation demand management (TDM) program to increase bike commuting to their two main campuses in Mountain View and Sunnyvale, California. An initial survey of employees indicated that bike ownership and worry about maintenance were primary bicycling barriers. With this information, Google began a program that loaned high-quality electric-assisted and conventional bicycles for a period of six months at no cost to interested employees. This research evaluates the effectiveness of the program at changing travel behavior to the corporate campuses by using self-reported and smartphone-integrated travel data. The lending program at Google represents one of, if not the largest, employer-sponsored bike and e-bike lending program in North America with over 1,000 bikes in its inventory. Thus, the evaluation of this program is a critical first step for understanding how bike lending can influence travel behavior in North American suburban contexts.

Publications:

Examining the Effects of a Bike and E-Bike Lending Program on Commuting Behavior (Full Report)

Research Brief

Additional Resources:

Executive Summary

Authors:

DILLON T. FITCH

Dillon is a Research Faculty member and the Co-Director of the BicyclingPlus Research Collaborative at the Institute for Transportation Studies, UC Davis. His research focuses on bicycling behavior and micromobility services.

ZEYU GAO

Zeyu Gao was a graduate student researcher in Civil and Environmental Engineering at UC Davis and now works as an engineer for Caltrans District 10.

LUCY NOBLE

Lucy is the Transportation Demand Management Program Manager at Google. Her efforts are focused on reducing traffic and parking demand at their headquarters in Silicon Valley by designing and implementing innovative commute options for commuters. She uses findings from behavioral science research to nudge commuters to shift to, or sustain, non-driving commutes.

TERRY MAC

Terry is the Senior Manager of Operations for Hallcon managing Google’s Bike Programs. He executes the strategy for commuter and bikeshare programs, including implementing and marketing effective communication and program management to reduce vehicle trips to support Google’s sustainability goals.

Published:

March 2022

Keywords:

Transportation demand management

Bicycling

E-bike

Commute behavior

Bike Lending