Competition and Cooperation between Shared Bicycles and Public Transit: A Case Study of Beijing

Abstract

As an eco-friendly transportation mode, shared bicycles provide a new option for public transit users in urban areas. China’s bicycle-sharing market began flourishing in July 2016 and reached a plateau in 2017. How shared bicycles influenced public transit systems during this period is an interesting topic. A case study of Beijing is conducted. This study aims to identify the competitive and cooperative influences of shared bicycles on public transit by exploring the changes in public transit trip distances before and after the upsurge in bicycle-sharing. A histogram shifting method is introduced to examine the influences of shared bicycles on public transit services from a travel distance perspective. A spatial correlation of bicycling usage and public transit changes is calculated using units of gridded cell spaces. The results show: (1) overall transit usage continued growing after the shared bicycles market reached a plateau; (2) short public transits within 2 km decreased while transfers within 2 km increased; and (3) the decrease of short transits and increase of transfers within 3 km were spatially highly correlated to the usage of shared bicycles. Hence, the role of bicycle-sharing systems is competitive for existing public transit systems during short trips and cooperative for connecting transits.