Exploring the factors affecting bike sharing usage in developing countries: a case study on Chandigarh, India

Abstract

Bike-sharing is one of the world’s fastest-growing new modes of transportation, with new schemes appearing on a regular basis. This paper examines the usage trends in a bike-sharing scheme operating in Chandigarh since 2020. While many studies have been conducted on how bike-sharing schemes are changing mobility in cities worldwide, particularly in developed countries, few have examined the dynamics of these schemes in cities in developing countries like India. One of the reasons for looking at a city like Chandigarh is to see if medium and smaller cities in developing countries benefit from bikesharing schemes and if bike-sharing schemes can play a prominent role in these cities. The study conducted an exploratory analysis using app data to examine the impact of factors such as temporal, weather, travel characteristics, and bike type (conventional or E-bike) on bike share usage in the city. Some of the research findings on the impact of various factors on bicycle ride durations (short, medium, and long) can assist other cities in developing countries in planning new bike station networks. Furthermore, analysing mode selection (conventional and E-bike) in bike share provides insights into user preferences and how various influencing factors influence their mode choice behaviour in similar cities.