Travel Quality by Public Bicycles: An Empirical Study

Abstract:

A case study was made of the public bicycle system of Minhang District, Shanghai, by carring out a questionnaire survey to record the travel mode shift behavior after the introduction of the system. A discrete choice model was employed to explain the decision mechanism underlying the modal shift. It is found that the characteristics of public bicycle, travel time and the accessibility of the bicycle service stations are important factors for decision making. The application of the model reveals travel quality improvement, while the most aggregate quality improvement occurs for relatively utilitarian travel purposes. The modal shift from public transits improve travel quality the most, while the modal shift from private cars improves the least. It is estimated that the travel quality by electric bikes improves more than that by setting up denser service stations.

Key words:public bicycle; travel mode shift; quality of travel; discrete choice model; empirical study