Evaluating the Making Cycling E-asier scheme for Cycling UK

As part of the government’s Gear Change strategy, which aims for half of all journeys in towns and cities to be cycled or walked by 2030, the Department for Transport has funded the Making cycling e-asier pilot scheme, delivered by Cycling UK. The scheme offered free training sessions and free one-month e-cycle loans to encourage people to consider using e-cycles as an everyday travel option. Specialist transport consultancy Steer led the evaluation of the scheme, and Qa were commissioned to conduct the qualitative research.

Approach

To fully understand the scheme’s impact, Qa engaged with a wide range of people. We recruited and conducted depth interviews and focus groups with: beneficiaries who participated in the training sessions and the e-cycle loans, stakeholders, and staff involved in delivering the scheme. Case studies were used to illustrate the experiences of people who had participated in the one-month e-cycle loans.

Outcome

Our qualitative research enriched the findings from quantitative survey data gathered by Steer and provided Cycling UK and the Department for Transport with positive feedback, highlighting what worked well about the pilot scheme. Alongside this, we identified opportunities to improve the scheme even further and made a series of practical and actionable recommendations, which could be used to widen the scheme’s impact and increase the number of journeys that are cycled.

For more information contact:

Richard Bryan  Managing Director
richard.bryan@qaresearch.co.uk
01904 632039

Photography: Kilian Seiler on Unsplash