Cycling promotion using financial incentives:
A pilot design to inform public policy in São Paulo, Brazil

Abstract

Bicycle transportation is a sustainable mode of mobility that can benefit society in various ways, such as reducing environmental pollution, improving public health, and saving economic costs. Consequently, public policies that promote bicycle use have become increasingly relevant for transportation planning. A policy option that has been implemented in some countries, mainly in Europe, is financial incentives for cyclists. In 2016, the City Hall of São Paulo approved a law to introduce this policy in the city through the Bike SP program. However, the policy has not been operationalized yet, owing to the scarcity of previous implementations in a context comparable to São Paulo and of scientific evidence to support its design and execution. Therefore, this project aims to design and prepare the implementation of a pilot project that can provide empirical data and insights for the Bike SP program and define its key aspects, such as eligibility criteria, incentive amount, and evaluation metrics. This study adopts an interdisciplinary approach that combines data science and econometric techniques with social science theories on mobility and data justice, and it is conducted in collaboration with cycle mobility specialists and with the City Hall of São Paulo. Drawing on a pre-analysis plan, this work proposes a research methodology that can be generalized and applied to other emerging policy domains that, like Bike SP, require rigorous evaluation and testing due to the lack of precedents. The findings suggest that the Bike SP program can have an impact that goes beyond increasing the mode share of cycling, through the generation of cycling data and the development of a cycling community. The study also concludes that the program should be complemented by other measures that improve the safety and quality of cycling in the city, in a joint effort to create an inclusive cycling environment.