Follow the e-riders: Travel behaviour change processes among e-bike adopters using a mixed-methods approach

Electric-assisted bicycles (e-bikes) represent a key example of how emerging technologies can influence travel patterns and broader sustainability transitions. While existing studies have examined motivations, substitution patterns, and behavioural impacts of e-bike adoption, limited evidence is available on the processes through which individuals adapt their travel behaviour after adoption. Moreover, the predominant reliance on either quantitative or qualitative approaches has constrained the ability to capture both statistical generalisation and context-specific behavioural mechanisms. This study addresses these gaps by employing a mixed-method approach to identifying the individual behaviour change process of e-bike adopters in Denmark. The analysis combines four waves of an online panel survey of 967 individuals intending to adopt an e-bike with before-and-after semi-structured interviews conducted with a subsample of 9 participants. Survey participants either adopted or did not adopt e-bikes, and their travel behaviour measures, motivational-attitudinal profiles, and interview narratives before and after potential adoption are used to understand how and why e‑bikes can support modal shifts and what conditions prevent behaviour change.