How Have Travelers Changed Mode Choices for First/Last Mile Trips after the Introduction of Bicycle-Sharing Systems: An Empirical Study in Beijing, China

Abstract

In recent years, there has been rapid development in bicycle-sharing systems (BSS) in China. Moreover, such schemes are considered promising solutions to the first/last mile problem. This study investigates the mode choice behaviors of travelers for first/last mile trips before and after the introduction of bicycle-sharing systems. Travel choice models for first/last mile trips are determined using a multinomial logit model. It also analyzes the differences in choice behavior between the young and other age groups. The findings show that shared bicycles become the preferred mode, while travelers preferred walking before bicycle-sharing systems were implemented. Gender, bicycle availability, and travel frequency were the most significant factors before the implementation of bicycle-sharing systems. However, after implementation, access distance dramatically affects mode choices for first/last mile trips. When shared bicycles are available, the mode choices of middle-aged group depend mainly on gender and access distance. All factors are not significant for the young and aged groups. More than 80% of public transport travelers take walking and shared bicycles as feeder modes. The proposed models and findings contribute to a better understanding of travelers' choice behaviors and to the development of solutions for the first/last mile problem.

Effects of Psychological Factors on Modal Shift from Car to Dockless Bike Sharing: A Case Study of Nanjing, China

“…However, it has reduced the usage of private cars and taxis [5], especially their usage in short trips in downtown areas [1,32,33]. Both Fan et al [34] and Shaheen et al [5] pointed out that the reductions in car use were partly because of the integration of bike sharing and public transit in the first and last mile of the trips. Interestingly, Yang et al [35] concluded that the percentage of car ownership of metro bike-sharing users (48.8%) was twice as high as the percentage of car owners in the study area (19.7%).…”

Development of a multinomial logit­model to choose a transportation mode for intercity travel

“…Considerable attention is paid by scientific studies to modeling the behavior of individuals when traveling. In particular, determining the utility function to assess the attractiveness of bicycle use after the introduction of a system of the shared use of bicycles to travel the "first/last mile" in Beijing (China) was reported in work [11]. The authors described the function of calculating the probability of choosing such modes of movement as walking on foot, riding own bike, a bike from the BSS system (Bicycle-Sharing Systems), and driving own car.…”

Impacts of Bike Sharing on Transit Ridership

“…Recommended actions for increasing subway ridership in NYC include adding Citi Bike stations with a careful consideration of a 0.25 mile radius from the subway station, which is in accordance with other studies (Ma et. al, 2015;Fan et. al, 2019;Campbell and Brakewood, 2017) and this study findings.…”

“…A 10% increase in annual CaBi ridership contributed to a 2.8% increase in average daily Metrorail ridership. Fan et al (2019) investigated the mode choice behaviors of travelers for first/last mile trips before and after introducing bicycle-sharing systems in Beijing, China. They applied the multinomial logit model to determine travel choice models for first/last mile trips, determining that shared bicycles quickly become the preferred mode over walking.…”

“…The results from the study indicated that every thousand bike sharing docks along a bus route were associated with a 2.42% fall in daily unlinked bus trips on transit bus routes in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Ma et al (2015), Fan et al (2019) and Campbell and Brakewood (2017) research studies reveal that bike sharing's impact on transit may vary based on location and associated land use patterns. Shaheen et al (2013) investigated the modal shift of individuals participating in four public bike sharing systems in North America by conducting an online survey of four major bike sharing organizations in Montreal (Canada), Toronto (Canada), the Twin Cities (US), and Washington D.C. (US).…”