Monitoring the first dockless bike sharing system in Greece: Understanding user perceptions, usage patterns and adoption barriers

Abstract

The city of Rethymno in Crete is the first Greek city to host a Dockless Bike Sharing System (DBSS). This is a scheme that means to promote sustainable mobility and help mitigating high levels of car traffic induced particularly during summer by a consistently increasing number of tourists. The present paper examines the efficiency of this DBSS aiming at: a) analysing the current usage patterns, b) identifying and discussing the various reasons that encourage or deter its usage and c) capturing a few key user perceptions reflecting and affecting scheme acceptance and usage. The study adopts a mix-method approach consisting of secondary data analysis, field observations and a quantitative survey, completed by 534 DBSS users. The findings illustrate that DBSS is used primarily for short-distance trips (up to 1,5km) and very short rentals (up to 15 mins). Traffic safety concerns and limitations in the existing cycling infrastructure are two of the factors adversely affecting the scheme's usage, since many questioned whether the scheme was an effective investment under the present situation with the given constrains of Rethymno's transport system. The majority of both frequent and occasional users thought that the scheme is affordable, easy to use and suitable for both tourist and local populations. These findings constitute the first ever footprint of DBSS usage in Greece and can be used as an input for delivering appropriate policy interventions in future urban transportation strategies looking to promote and reinforce bike sharing usage and increase cycling uptake. The paper also offers valuable guidance to mobility providers about how bike sharing businesses can prosper long-term in an environment where shared mobility schemes constitute novel socio-technical interventions.

Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 on Bike-Sharing Usage: The Case of Thessaloniki, Greece

“…Moreover, as can be understood by the total number of rentals, the bike-sharing system has not managed to become popular among the citizens. A similar attitude towards bike-sharing usage has been also identified in other Greek cities, and it is attributed to the lack of cycling infrastructure and road safety issues [33,34]. The limited networks of bike-sharing stations and the underutilization of technology are two additional reasons for not succeeding in attracting a high number of users [35,36].…”

Challenges and Opportunities in Dock-Based Bike-Sharing Rebalancing: A Systematic Review

“…For example, in the last years, there is a growing interest in understanding patterns that explain the use of BSS. References for docking-based BSS like [15,16] or dockless ones like [17,18] can be found. However, rebalance data is not used for that purpose.…”

A New User-Based Incentive Strategy for Improving Bike Sharing Systems’ Performance

“…Their results showed that residents were in favor of a self-service bicycle system considering its benefit to the environment, people's health, residents who need a means of transport at a low cost, and the reduction in the traffic congestion of the city. Bakogiannis et al [27] presented an empirical and theoretical study of the Dockless Bike Sharing System (DBSS). The authors analyzed the BSS models using real users' trip data, explored the reasons why residents did not use the system, and studied the main users' perceptions relating to their use of the BSS.…”