Use Frequency of Metro–Bikeshare Integration: Evidence from Nanjing, China

Abstract

Promoting a transition in individuals’ travel mode from car to an integrated metro and bikeshare systems is expected to effectively reduce the traffic congestion that results mainly from commute trips performed by individual automobiles. This paper focuses on the use frequency of an integrated metro–bikeshare by individuals, and presents empirical evidence from Nanjing, China. Using one-week GPS data collected from the Mobike company, the spatiotemporal characteristics of origin/destination for cyclists who would likely to use shared bike as a feeder mode to metro are examined. Three areas of travel-related spatiotemporal information were extracted including (1) the distribution of walking distances between metro stations and shared bike parking lots; (2) the distribution of cycling times between origins/destinations and metro stations; and (3) the times when metro–bikeshare users pick up/drop off shared bikes to transfer to/from a metro. Incorporating these three features into a questionnaire design, an intercept survey of possible factors on the use of the combined mode was conducted at seven functional metro stations. An ordered logistic regression model was used to examine the significant factors that influence groupings of metro passengers. Results showed that the high-, medium- and low-frequency groups of metro–bikeshare users accounted for 9.92%, 21.98% and 68.1%, respectively. Education, individual income, travel purpose, travel time on the metro, workplace location and bike lane infrastructure were found to have significant impacts on metro passengers’ use frequency of integrated metro–bikeshares. Relevant policies and interventions for metro passengers of Nanjing are proposed to encourage the integration of metro and bikeshare systems.

The Public Bicycle as a Feeder Mode for Metro Commuters in the Megacity Beijing: Travel Behavior, Route Environment, and Socioeconomic Factors

“…Results showed that commuting on workdays is a significant and common purpose of metro-bicycle integration, and that improving the route environment for metro-bicycle integration is of great significance to alleviate traffic congestion in megacities (Ma et al 2018). Promoting cycling as a feeder mode would bring benefits to both cycling and transit (Ji et al 2018;Liu et al 2020). For example, a quantitative analysis of the pioneering large-scale bicycle sharing system called Vélib' in Paris, France, confirmed this positive effect.…”

“…The results showed that close coupling of transit and vehiclesharing systems is beneficial through improvement in the utilization rate of the public transit (Nair et al 2013). A successful integration between the two will most likely result in an increase in the subsequent ridership of transit, the efficiency of transit, and the overall demand for cycling (Krizek and Stonebraker 2010;Liu et al 2020;Zuo et al 2020).…”

“…In cities in China, such as Beijing and Nanjing, the combined use with bicycle as a feeder mode occurs more in high-density areas, while in cities in the United States, such as Minneapolis, MN, and Washington, DC, areas with low population density attract more ridership (Martin and Shaheen 2014;Lin et al 2018). As for individual factors, people with a high school degree or even below may use public bicycles as a feeder mode more frequently (Liu et al 2020). Female, older, and low-income commuters are less likely to use public bicycles to access transit (Ji et al 2016;Yang et al 2016).…”

“…Female, older, and low-income commuters are less likely to use public bicycles to access transit (Ji et al 2016;Yang et al 2016). The lack of a second car in a household may be one reason for people choosing the metro-bicycle integration (Liu et al 2020). As for travel-related characteristics, travel purpose shows a significant impact.…”

“…Furthermore, promoting public cycling provides direct health benefits at the population level (Mueller et al 2015), along with substantial environmental and economic advantages (Woodcock et al 2009; Handy and Xing 2011;Handy et al 2014). Thus, promoting the integration of public bicycles and the metro system has the potential to be a great solution for the last-mile problem (Ji et al 2018;Liu et al 2020).…”