Sustrans Cymru eMove Project

Recent research conducted by the Urban Transport Group,  highlighted the valuable contribution e-bikes and e-cargo bikes can have in modal shift to replace short car trips and last mile deliveries. With the Electric Vehicle Trade association reporting e-bikes sales overtaking electric car sales in the US, and the EU predicting e-bike sales to outstrip all new car sales by 2030, it’s a positive trend to help lower carbon emissions. E-bike purchase and switching from car to bike however is a big commitment, especially for people living in deprivation to be able to consider. Having subsidised or affordable access to e-bikes is a really important step to help people try before they buy.

In 2021, See.Sense partnered with Sutrans Cymru on the E-Move Scheme, thanks to funding from the Welsh Government. Residents, business and community groups from 5 locations could apply for a 1 month free loan of an e-bike or e-cargo bike if they lived in a deprived, rural or hilly area. Some of the people who have benefited include Gemma, who was able to trial using a e-cargo bike that allowed her to cycle with her 2 small children on board and Use Your Loaf, a community training bakery that has been able to trial a green delivery service. 

Photo Courtesy of Sustrans Cymru

In order to effectively monitor and evaluate the impact of the programme, See.Sense SUMMIT devices were fitted across the wide range of e-bikes which included Tern bikes, Benno E Joys, Bergamont E-Villes and Urban Arrow bikes. SUMMIT collects data that enables Sustrans Cymru to access near-real time data dashboards to monitor the number of trips, distance covered, average speeds and CO2 savings. This has removed the need for participants to do any manual recording and reporting of usage, which is critical for evaluation for pilot funders. On the ground field officers are also able to follow up with people when usage stops to offer support to help embed their behaviour change.The stats to date are impressive, with 84 bikes currently in circulation.  The infographic below is taken from the project’s dashboard, showing some impressive stats from the users.  

The project used our user-friendly web based dashboard to manage  the project and to also gather evidence that demonstrates the impact of the fund to support future funding applications.  With features specifically designed to help manage bike schemes, such as downloadable reports, See.Sense helped to reduce costs and improved the process. 

“Using trackers on our bikes has allowed us to monitor bike usage and discover popular routes used by people borrowing electric bikes from us, which could be used to help influence future route planning and development.” 

Emily Sinclair Liveable Cities and Towns Officer | Sustrans Cymru

These never-before-seen insights will enable city planners to understand how e-cargo bikes are being used, which can ultimately help to inform the design of better infrastructure to facilitate the growth in green last mile logistics.

To find out how See.Seese technology and data services can help with your monitoring and evaluating requirements please email team@seesense.cc and a member of our team will be in touch.