Experiences, valuable activities, and worthwhile travel : a comparison of e-cycling and conventional cycling trips

E-cycling (EC) is often considered a simple ‘upgrade’ to conventional cycling (CC), but important differences exist between the two modes in terms of experiences, values, and worthwhileness. Using Chi2 tests, this study analyzes 8543 e-cycling and conventional cycling trips legs across eight European countries collected through the Woorti mobile app (May-December 2019) and evaluates differences in negative and positive trip experiences, valuable activities, worthwhile travel time, trip characteristics, environmental elements, and demographic characteristics. Results indicate that the appreciation of travel time by EC is linked to listening to music/podcasts, thinking, enjoyment, and irritation toward (unsatisfactory) infrastructure and congestion, implying that these trips are more solitary with higher experience expectations. CC use is linked to schedule predictability and a range of trip types, implying that these trips might be associated with trip chaining. These findings suggest important differences between EC and CC trips in terms of how they contribute to the intrinsic utility of travel, with implications for overall happiness and well-being.