Public bike users’ annual travel distance: Findings from combined data of user survey and annual rental records

Abstract

The public bikesharing (PBS) scheme has been recognized as a sustainable transport mode. However, to promote its use, it is crucial to understand the travel behavior of PBS subscribers. This study intends to determine the factors associated with PBS subscribers’ annual public bike distance, which is yet to be noted in the literature. We build up a dataset for the PBS scheme in Seoul, South Korea, by combining its 2019 rental records with a questionnaire survey addressed to its subscribers. The combined dataset containing 1,652 PBS users’ detailed personal information and yearly rental records enables us to explain the subscribers’ annual PBS distance along with their socio-demographic characteristics, travel behavior, perceived benefit from PBS use, and land-use characteristics of their neighborhoods. By adopting mixed-effect gamma regression models, we identify that the heterogeneity of neighborhoods has around 7.5% random effects on subscribers’ annual PBS travel distance on weekdays and weekends. Based on the combined data, we can explain the public bike travel behavior from both a long-term as well as user-oriented perspective. We expect this study to not only enhance policymakers’ and planners’ fundamental understanding of long-term public bike use patterns, but also help them prepare an integrated mobility system in the future.