The income of people who travel by e-bike cannot simply be attributed to "all are relatively low". While it is true that the users of e-bikes as an affordable means of transportation include a relatively low-income population, there are many other factors that influence people's decision to travel on e-bikes.
First, e-bikes are relatively inexpensive to purchase and use from an economic standpoint, making it the preferred mode of travel for some people with lower incomes. However, this does not mean that all e-bike riders have low incomes. In fact, with the continuous development and popularization of electric bicycle technology, more and more middle- and high-income people have begun to choose to travel by electric bicycle. They may value the benefits of e-bikes such as environmental friendliness, convenience, and fitness benefits, rather than just economic reasons.
Secondly, from the perspective of travel demand, the people who ride electric bicycles are diverse. In some cities, due to problems such as traffic congestion and parking difficulties, many people choose to ride electric bicycles as a means of commuting. These groups may include office workers, students, couriers, food delivery workers, etc., with varying incomes. For example, couriers and delivery workers, although their incomes may be relatively low, choose to ride e-bikes to meet the needs of their work; Some office workers and students may choose to ride e-bikes for environmental protection, fitness and other reasons.
In addition, e-bikes have distinct advantages for short trips. For closer destinations, riding an e-bike is not only convenient and fast, but also avoids traffic jams and parking difficulties. Therefore, some middle- and high-income people also choose to ride e-bikes when they travel short distances.
From the data point of view, although the income distribution of e-bike users may be skewed towards low- and middle-income people, it is not easy to conclude that "e-bike riders have lower incomes". For example, as mentioned in Reference Article 1, in the monthly income distribution of Chinese e-bike respondents in 2021, 34.6% of consumers have a monthly income of 5,001-10,000 yuan, and 22.3% of consumers have a monthly income of 10,001-15,000 yuan, which indicates that there are many middle- and high-income people among the users of electric bicycles.
In summary, the income situation of people who travel by e-bike is diverse, and it cannot be simply boiled down to "all are relatively low". People's decision to travel by e-bike is influenced by a variety of factors, including the economy, travel needs, environmental awareness, etc. Therefore, when evaluating e-bike users, we should avoid oversimplifying labels and biases.