Demand and cost structure analyses on Japanese successful bicycle sharing system called “Ekirin-kun” to install cycle ports at railway stations

Abstract

Abstract In cities of European countries many public bicycle sharing systems have been introduced in the last ten years. However, European bicycle sharing systems are not applicable or feasible in cities where populations are not so dense and where owned private bicycles have already been widely used. On the other hand, the Japanese bicycle sharing system called “Ekirin-kun” has expanded successfully in Japanese cities where bicycles have already been widely used both in urban and rural areas. Ekirin-kun, which means railway-station-bicycle in Japanese, installs cycle ports at railway stations. In this paper, the factors of Ekirin-kun's success are analysed by regression analysis, Contingent Valuation Method (CVM), and by formulating and examining revenue and costs.