Factors influencing electric bike share ridership : analysis of Park City, Utah

Abstract

In recent years, bike share programs have become more popular as they contribute to the move toward sustainable mobility in cities. Electric bike sharing, however, remains in the early stages of development. In contrast to traditional bikes, electric bicycles (e-bikes) provide an extra boost via an electric pedal-assist motor, thereby making it much easier to travel around a city with a hilly terrain, such as Park City, Utah. The Summit Bike Share system in Park City is the nation’s first fully electric bike share system (e-BSS). Based on an analysis of historical trip data of Summit Bike Share, this paper presents the system’s performance experience and evaluates user characteristics and travel behavior. A Poisson regression analysis is performed to investigate the factors that influence the e-bike share usage of this e-BSS. The regression results reveal that weather factors, including temperature and wind speed, significantly affect e-bike share usage. It was also found that weekends, summer months, high population density, proximity to public transit centers, recreational centers, and bike trails positively affect the demand for e-bikes. The findings of this paper can help the operators of Summit Bike Share to better understand their users and their e-BSS, while also providing a guide for other e-bike projects currently in the planning stages.