Assessing potential uptake and willingness to pay for smart bicycle technologies affecting cycling safety. A stated preference survey among e-bike users in the Netherlands

Electric bicycles (e-bikes) have become popular, and their penetration rate is manifest in many countries worldwide, especially in the Netherlands, which is known for its high rate of bicycle ownership. While this improves sustainability, especially when people shift from motor vehicles to e-bikes, e-bike crashes have increased in recent years. Smart bicycle technologies could help to improve cycling safety. Although the literature in this field is growing, and many bicycle manufacturers are highly interested in such technologies, e-bike users’ preferences and willingness to pay for smart bicycle technologies have not yet been addressed. This study aims to estimate willingness to pay for possible technologies increasing safety by analysing responses from a stated preference survey in the Netherlands between December 2022 and January 2023. A Mixed Logit model was estimated for 725 respondents and showed significant heterogeneity. Results suggest that respondents, on average, have a positive attitude toward smart bicycle technologies, with the Assistance of smart routes, Assistance emergency call, and Collision avoidance rear side being the most preferred ones. Dutch consumers are willing to pay up to €248 to use technologies on e-bikes to increase their cycling safety compared to the reference. In addition, we found differences in willingness to pay in population segments, such as education level, income, gender, and respondents who own an e-bike.