Abstract
Shared bicycle users with commuting purposes generally need to take a traditional public transit and then use the shared bicycle to complete the first/last mile transport. While shared bicycle provides convenient travel for travelers, it also brings a series of problems such as disorderly parking and road occupancy. Therefore, exploring the problem of travel mode shift between shared bicycle and public transit is of significance for improving the traffic environment and increasing the sharing rate of public transit. This paper introduces the flex-route transit system and quantitatively analyzes the rationality and feasibility of using flex-route transit to pick up and drop off shared bicycle users with commuting demand from the temporal perspectives. A flex-route transit route design model is established with the objective of minimizing the sum of vehicle driving time cost and passenger time cost, and the time cost models of the shared bicycle commuting system and the flex-route transit system are constructed, compared, and analyzed to explore the feasibility of flex-route transit picking up or dropping off shared bicycle users under different conditions. Through the subsequent sensitivity analysis, the influence of passenger demand density, fixed station spacing, and travel preference attributed to the two systems are analyzed separately. The results demonstrate that the flex-route transit can efficiently complete the picking up or dropping off for shared bicycle users under certain conditions.
Highlights
As a new mode of urban transportation system, shared bicycle provides a new travel option for travelers and provides new ideas for government departments in urban transportation planning
In order to better deal with the impact of shared bicycle and coordinate urban transportation system, exploring the relationship and interaction mechanism between shared bicycle and other public transit systems is of great significance
The results show that the relationship between shared bicycle and public transit usage is determined by the time that the trip happens and the person who is traveling [25]
Summary
As a new mode of urban transportation system, shared bicycle provides a new travel option for travelers and provides new ideas for government departments in urban transportation planning. Flex-route transit combines the characteristics of traditional fixed-route transit and dial-a-ride services, which meet the regular travel requirement of passengers, and change the route to pick up and drop off passengers outside the fixed station. The travel demand characteristics of shared bicycle users are very similar to the service objects of flex-route transit. This paper attempts to introduce the flex-route transit mode, analyzes the feasibility of the flex-route transit picking up or dropping off shared bicycle users (travelers do not need to ride shared bicycles and transfer, just take the bus directly), and examines the characteristics of the two modes under different conditions in order to provide a new choice for travel and traffic planning.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
