Gender gap generators for bike share ridership: Evidence from Citi Bike system in New York City

Abstract

Bike-sharing is one of the rapidly growing transport services around the world. This study aims to identify the factors that affect gender differences in bike share ridership. Using data from New York City's Citi Bike Share system, we investigate the environmental correlates of bike share usage for males and females. We also model the influences of bicycle facilities, land use factors, and public transit services on the share of trip arrivals made by females. The results suggest that the environmental correlates of bike share usage for males and females are broadly similar. However, the estimated magnitudes suggest that our variables of interest may influence males and females differently. For example, installing more bicycle racks are positively associated with bike share ridership for both genders. We further find that this factor affects women more than men. Specifically, a 1% increase in the number of bicycle racks is correlated with a 1.18% increment in the share of trips arrivals made by women. The findings can be used to assess the effectiveness of future infrastructure investments aimed at minimizing the gender gap in bike share usage. The findings also offer valuable insights into the ways of increasing the overall bike share ridership, thereby promoting local bicycling culture.