Who Embraces shared mobility and why? A survey in Beijing and Shanghai, China

Abstract

Shared mobility (SM) provides a feasible solution for reducing the private cars use. However, SM is not widely accepted in China's mobility market. Based on scenario choice experiments, we explore the potential user sources of SM and analyze the factors that influence users' choice of SM by comparing SM and traditional travel modes. First, we divide users into four categories based on their travel habits and examine heterogeneous users' travel inertia and preference differences for SM. Second, we use a discrete choice model to analyze the effects of demographic characteristics and travel attributes on users' mode choices. Third, we explore the potential user sources and the development potential of SM. The results indicate that Beijing has a greater positive potential for SM. To be specific, car users are the main potential users of SM in Beijing, while the primary source in Shanghai is bus users, implying that promoting SM may exacerbate the traffic congestion in Shanghai. Attribute analysis suggests that fewer transfers and more carpoolers are the two most important factors driving users to choose SM. Meanwhile, time-related attributes have a significant impact on bus users, and exorbitant parking fees will encourage car users to choose SM.