“Green, but not as green as that”: An analysis of a Brazilian bike-sharing system

Abstract

According to academics and urban planners, the smart city concept favors technological products and solutions over end users and their adherence to a smart city proposal. The smart city concept is also considered in the cities of Latin America, one of the most urbanized and unequal regions of the world. Smart city implementation in such contexts can provide lessons on urban innovation when resources are scarce and the environments are volatile. Thus, it is possible to verify that one of the most implemented solutions to diminish the increasing urban congestion and its effects on citizens’ quality of life is related to smart urban mobility. This paper sought to evaluate the perception of bike-sharing users in a smart city and analyze the main motivations for using this system. The research analyzed the bike-sharing system of Passo Fundo, a medium-sized city in southern Brazil. Interviews with 526 residents identified three main motivations for using the bike-sharing system: (i) health and the environment, (ii) being social influencer, and (iii) the cyclist lifestyle. The respondents’ overall perception revealed their low satisfaction with the bike-sharing system and with the overall conditions for cycling. This finding calls for a better understanding of the planning and management of smart cities in conjunction with citizen’s perception and their effects on the city smartness. The research provides contributions regarding understanding the interconnected aspects of bike-sharing systems in the developing countries context. From a smart city perspective, we conclude that success within the domain of smart mobility can be achieved by observing the three factors revealed by the analysis. According to our results, meeting these criteria through public policies would increase bike-sharing, creating a green behavior trend.