Competition, Integration, or Complementation? Exploring Dock-Based Bike-Sharing in New York City

Abstract

The bike-sharing system has advanced urban transportation by solving “the last mile problem,” enabling riders to better connect to public transit. There has been a paucity of knowledge, however, regarding the relationship between bike-sharing and public transit. In this article, we solicit one year of bike trip data comprising approximately 17 million trips from Citi Bike, the largest dock-based bike-sharing system in New York City. Then, we derive six bike usage clusters based on three clustering variables: the start trips, end trips, and station empty status. Finally, we propose three relationships between bike-sharing and public transit: competition, integration, and complementation. The result demonstrates that bike-sharing can largely compete with public transit in New York City. A significant portion of bike-sharing trips are more time-intensive than their public transit alternatives. The article concludes that this competition exists due to riders’ preferences for lower costs and flexibility over savings in travel time, which helps to improve transportation equity for socioeconomically disadvantaged populations. Thus, in New York City, bike-sharing primarily fulfills the need for low-cost and flexible travel rather than solving “the last mile problem.” This revelation provides new insights into the roles of bike-sharing in urban transportation.