As member of the European Passengers’ Federation we see the popularity of the e-bike in the Netherlands not only as positive but also as a threat for public transport. Those who depend on public transport for their daily commute are very likely to evaluate the e-bike as an attractive alternative mode of transport.
Those without a vehicle
This concerns mostly the passengers who do not have a vehicle as an alternative to public transport:
- teenagers who did not reach the legally required age to drive a moped (16 years)
- adults not able to get a driving license for a moped or car: for bureaucratic reasons (citizenship) or specific personal reasons (disability, fear)
- adults without free parking or a parking license for their vehicle (in the city).
E-bike is cheaper
The e-bike is also a cheaper alternative to a public transport subscription. Buying an e-bike results in ownership and cheap use per kilometer, while a subscription to a public transport service gives nothing tangible after the service. The e-bike costs mostly result in ownership.
Local public transport subscriptions for bus, tram and metro only give a discount on a certain route or for a certain local network. The e-bike is unlimited, it gives comfort 24/7 anywhere. You can even take it with you on holidays, while your public transport network is grounded.
Once you own an e-bike, the normal bicycle is completely replaced. Not only for that commute the e-bike is used, but also for small errants nearby and recreation.
Door to door with e-bike
For the same reason the combination of bicycle and public transport is attractive because it offers transport from door to door the e-bike wins. Compared to a ride with a bus, tram or metro because it offers a similar high average speed on the distances you do with those; 20 to 30km/h. The e-bike won’t compete with most train commutes, just like it won’t compete with most car commutes because those distances are longer; you go faster than 80 for a part of it.
E-bike as superior moped
Commuters using public transport who would never consider a moped now have a good alternative without the disadvantages of the moped. The e-bike is more attractive than the moped for many reasons:
- no age requirement by law
- no helmet required by law
- no driving license required
- no insurance required by law
- no vehicle registration and license plate
- no smell and noise from the internal combustion engine
- charging is clean, cheap and at home
- less maintenance
- easier to park and store
- cheaper, even for sale in webshops as a package
The internal combustion engine of the moped produces small explosions that makes noise, smells, pollutes the air, leaks and requires frequent maintenance. The e-bike has none of that. The moped is a heavy machine that is not easy to park. An expensive e-bike can even be parked in an apartment overnight, much like a bicycle. Small businesses won’t allow the moped from an employee inside but an e-bike is oftentimes doable. Bicycle parking facilities in the Netherlands are often off-limits for mopeds while e-bikes are allowed in. Currently there are no helmet laws for bicycles in the Netherlands, although there are recommendations for the young and elderly to use a helmet on the e-bike.
It is important to acknowledge that the e-bike falls in the category ‘bicycle’ in terms of vehicle approval. To stay inside that category only the EU ‘product definition’ for the e-bike applies: no motorised support above 25km/h and the power of that support should not exceed 250 Watt. For comparison, an adult on a traditional bicycle has about 100 Watt of power.
Therefore, in a direct comparison between moped and public transport most will prefer the latter. The moped is a hassle in many ways. But all these objections vanish with the e-bike, it is the superior moped. It offers all the advantages of door-to-door transport of the bicycle without the physical effort. The popularity of the moped illustrates the demand for bicycles without helmet and without effort.
Mopeds without helmet are popular
The helmet determines the popularity of a vehicle. When the helmet law for mopeds went into effect in 1975 a year later (after a moped industry lobby) a less powerful version was allowed without helmet. It was allowed on bike lanes and limited to 25km/h. From the more than one million mopeds, there were more than 800.000 of these on the road versus only 500.000 ordinary mopeds with a maximum speed of 45km/h. Since a helmet requirement for the slow moped went into effect on 1 January 2023 the sales have plummeted and the 1,2 million now is 50/50 devided. While the category still exists, in practise these mopeds are hardly sold new anymore (60k in 2020, 6k in 2025). In favour of the e-bike mostly according to an evaluation. And some existing ones are converted (back) to the traditional fast version. The second hand value also dropped, so many owners choose to use it until it breaks down. A new model moped would range between €2000 and €3000 while a cheap e-bike can be ordered online in a cardboard box for €500, although the average e-bike price is €2000. In short, the e-bike popularity will grow.
E-bikes thrive on bicycle infrastructure
The moped has been popular in the Netherlands because of the network of bicycle lanes. Outside of the build-up area all mopeds are still required to use the bike lanes. There is such an extensive national network of bicycle lanes in the Netherlands that you can avoid driving between cars on a busy and fast road on your moped. There will be bike lane.
Elsewhere in Europe the popularity of e-bikes also grows hand in hand with the construction of bicycle infrastructure. See for example what Paris has installed as bicycle infrastructure. Also there commuters used to take the metro, tram and bus and now favour the e-bike.
Financial benefits for e-bike use
There are fiscal measures to make it attractive for employers to let their employees buy a bicycle and use it to commute to work. This also applies to the e-bike. While the compensation to commute by public transport is modest and restricted to only the commute, the e-bike you purchase through some work related scheme can also be used for other rides once the employee owns it.
E-bike changes work
Another compelling reason to prefer the e-bike over public transport; compensated commutes stop when your job stops. The e-bike will last for years longer and will make more job opportunities an option, like those jobs in areas that would require a car commute.
Employers at their end might choose to relocate away from the expensive spots around public transport hubs when the (lowest paid) employees can cheaply and comfortably commute by e-bike. Those employees become even cheaper if their commute doesn’t need a public transport compensation. Resulting in more ‘urban sprawl‘ and less concentrated big cities with good public transport, like you already see in the Netherlands with decades of bicycle use.