Impact of climate on a bike-sharing system. Minutes of use depending on day of the week, month and season of the year

Abstract

In recent years, municipal policies have proliferated aimed at promoting the shared use of bicycles in different locations in Spain. The objectives of this article are, firstly, to determine if the impact of climate, temperature and average rainfall on the use of shared bicycles; and, secondly, to analyse if the use of these bicycles is affected by the day of the week, month or season of the year. For this purpose, a descriptive and cross-sectional study has been carried out over 3 years regarding the use of shared bicycles in a Spanish municipality. We found no significant differences in use with respect to day of the week. With respect to month, the data reveal a progressive increase in use from April to July, reaching a peak of 15.8% in the month of September. Data on meteorological variables was also obtained, revealing that mild temperatures and scarce rainfall were associated with greater use of the system.