01656822

Component

This paper analyzes the temporal variations of public bike riding over the hours, the days and the months. A whole year of usage data (34,098,787 trips) are collected for the bikesharing system in Ningbo, China. Data analysis shows significant seasonal variations of bike rental amounts. The seasonal reductions of bike riders are explained mainly by three factors: nonpermanent residents leaving the city during the Chinese Spring Festival, uncomfortable high/low outdoor temperature, and rainy/snowy weather. Weather impact analysis suggests that rainfall decreases rental amounts significantly, with 1mm of daily rainfall expected to reduce daily rental amount by about 10%. The results also show significant day-of-the-week variations, with rental amounts in weekends 20-30% lower than in weekdays, indicating a clear commuter pattern of usage. The commuter pattern is further proven by the time of day variation with the double rental peaks of morning and afternoon. It should be noted that the total usage in either morning or afternoon rush hours only accounts for 60% of the total bike supply, which indicates that some bikes in the system may have been positioned in the wrong place at peak times. It is further shown that peak hour usage accounts for only 10~12% of AADT, much lower than the peak hour percentages for other modes. These temporal characteristics imply that the bike turnover rate could increase further if the efficiency of the bike supply is improved with proper location and relocation of bikes.

This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ANF20 Standing Committee on Bicycle Transportation. Alternate title: Characterizing Temporal Variations of Public Bike Riding: A Case Study of Ningbo, China

18-01021

English

15p

2018

Transportation Research Board 97th Annual Meeting

Digital/other

Figures; References; Tables

Bicycle commuting; Bicycles; Case studies; Daily; Hourly; Periods of the day; Seasons; Vehicle sharing; Weather

Temporal variability

Ningbo (China)

Operations and Traffic Management; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Planning and Forecasting

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2018 Paper #18-01021

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Jan 8 2018 10:15AM