Winter bikesharing in US: User willingness, and operator’s challenges and best practices

Abstract

Bikesharing is an emerging sustainable transportation alternative which is gaining attention and demand since the launch of the third-generation bikeshare system in the United States in 2007. As of 2015, there were 74 U.S. cities operating bikeshare programs. More than half of these programs are seasonal, meaning they shut down their operations for winter. This study focuses on gathering more knowledge and information relating to winter bikesharing for the United States in terms of understanding users’ willingness to use bikeshare programs in harsh winters, and operators’ strategies, challenges and best practices for providing bikeshare operations without interruption in cold U.S. cities. Great Rides Bikeshare users in Fargo, North Dakota, were surveyed in October 2015 to understand their willingness to use the bikeshare program in winter and determine factors influencing their ridership. Based on 654 returned survey responses, significant number (70%–95%) of regular, occasional, and infrequent bikeshare users expressed their willingness to use bikeshare program in winter; further, the willingness increased among users in situations when bike paths and sidewalks could be cleared of snow and ice. A second survey was conducted in February 2016 with bikeshare program operators located in other cold U.S. cities that expect snow events, freezing temperatures, and other adverse winter weather conditions and were operational for the 2015–2016 winter. Expected ridership for bikeshare program during the winter has been observed anywhere between 10 and 30% of peak summer ridership. Winter bikeshare operational strategies, challenges, and best practices were gathered from 10 out of 14 bikeshare programs that were operated through 2015–2016 winter. Results from this study can be useful to researchers, and bikeshare operators who want to implement year-round bikeshare operations in cold cities with winter conditions.