Impacts of free-floating bikesharing system on public transit ridership. (November 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ma, Xiaolei; Zhang, Xian; Li, Xin; Wang, Xingju; Zhao, Xu
• Is Part Of: Transportation research. Volume 76(2019)
• Page Start: 100
• Page End: 110
• Publication Date: 2019-11
• Subjects: Free-floating bike sharing system -- Transit ridership -- PSM -- DID; Transportation -- Research -- Periodicals; Transportation -- Environmental aspects -- Periodicals; 354.76
• DOI: 10.1016/j.trd.2019.09.014
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1361-9209

Abstract

Highlights: A research gap of evaluating the impact of dockless BSS on bus ridership is filled. An enhanced DID model is developed to improve the accuracy of estimation. At the bus route level, dockless BSS positively impacts on ridership on weekdays. At the bus route level, dockless BSS negatively impacts on ridership on weekends. At the bus stop level, dockless BSS negatively impacts on ridership on weekends. Abstract: The development of bike sharing system (BSS) has changed travelers' commuting and lifestyle in recent years. Whether BSSs are complementary or competitive to public transit remains controversial. This study uses a propensity score matching-based difference-in-difference (DID) method to evaluate the impact of free-floating BSS on bus ridership in Chengdu, China. The transaction data of bus service and BSS and the neighboring points of interest are investigated. Results indicate that, (a) on the bus route level, each shared bike results in a 4.23 increment and a 0.56 reduction in daily bus ridership on weekdays and weekends, respectively; (b) on the bus stop level, the increment in shared bikes significantly negatively impacts bus ridership on weekends; (c) on the route level, regarding the time of day, each unit increment of shared bike significantly increases bus ridership on weekdays by 0.54, 0.34, and 0.15 during a.m. peak, p.m. peak, and off peak, respectively; and (d) on the bus stop level, the relationship between shared bikes and bus ridership is insignificant on weekdays. This study reveals that the demand pattern of commuters strongly impacts the relationship between shared bike and public transportation.