Project Summary
The recent emergence of dock-less electric bike (e-bike) and scooter (e-scooter) shares have a growing number of California cities exploring the use of bike/scooter share systems to improve environmental, social, and health outcomes of the transportation system. Increasing bike/scooter share usage is likely to improve users’ physical activity and reduce their vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and related greenhouse emissions. However, these benefits fall under the assumption that users is replacing a car trip with a bike / scooter trip. If the major mode shift comes from public transit, owned bike, or walking, then the expected benefits of bike / scooter share may be more limited. Many existing studies of bike share systems focus on system dynamics, but less is known about how bike/scooter share influences individual level travel behavior, including substituting for car travel. Considering VMT reduction is a statewide goal for meeting greenhouse gas emissions targets, understanding how bike/scooter share can reduce car travel is important. Additionally, understanding how planning and regulation of bike/scooter share systems influences car substitution rates can help cities craft local plans and regulations to maximize VMT reductions from their bike/scooter shares. One of the largest dock-less e-bike shares in the United States opened last summer across Sacramento, West Sacramento, and Davis. The current study of users of this system and nearby residents focuses on measuring the effect of the e-bike (and now e-scooter) share on other travel modes (specifically car travel), attitudes, and public health, along with measuring the equity of the system. This project continues the current project with the addition of further survey data collection and summary of individual level behavior, attitudes, and health. The researchers will add two strategic goals to the second year of the project. First, researchers will build statistical models from the survey data to predict existing system-wide travel mode shift to better estimate system-wide vehicle miles reduced by the system. Second, they propose to model JUMP demand and examine regulation/ planning scenarios (e.g. service area boundaries and vehicle caps).
