Factors influencing the market share of e-bike sharing: evidence from New York City

Multiple studies have claimed that shared bikes and shared e-bikes are highly sustainable and promote healthy lifestyles, especially for short-distance transportation. In recent years, bike sharing systems (BSS) and e-bike sharing systems (e-BSS) have enjoyed rapid development. Understanding the influencing factors of BSS and e-BSS trips and their market share (MS = e-BSS/(e-BSS + BSS)) can help the operating company formulate relevant policies to optimize resource allocations and improve system efficiency. Using data collected from the Citi Bike Share System of New York City, we empirically investigate this topic by formulating the negative binomial regression model to explore the influencing factors of the BSS trips and e-BSS trips, and constructing the fractional regression model to explore the influence factors of the market share of e-BSS. The results show that the explanatory variables have similar influence trends on the usage of BSS and e-BSS. But their effects on the market share are unique. For example, Low-income areas have negative effects on trips of BSS and e-BSS but positive impacts on the market share of e-BSS. The market share of e-BSS is greater in regions characterized by lower income levels, larger employment, larger population, and residential areas. This paper also provides transportation professionals with some useful references to guide the synergistic development of BSS and e-BSS.