Measuring Equity in Bike Share Programs: A Case Study of the Twin Cities

Many U.S. cities have adopted bike share programs. Research has shown the majority of bike share users are white, highly educated, and young, with higher incomes. This observation has led to concerns about equity. In 2015, the Nice Ride program in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota had 190 stations located principally to serve the two central business districts, recreational areas, and transit corridors. Using the Nice Ride program as a case, this paper addresses three questions: How does equity of access to bike share stations vary within and among populations and employees in the Twin Cities? How much does frequency of riding by annual members vary by gender and age? What are the effects of neighborhood socio-demographics on frequency of riding by annual members? The authors use GINI coefficients to measure equity of access to stations. All analyses are at the Census block level. The results confirm inequity in the spatial distribution of stations: equity of access is greater among employees than residents. However, blocks with higher percentages of households with low incomes and without vehicles have greater access. The numbers of male and female annual members are roughly equal, but a gender gap exists in frequency of riding. Regression models show that members who are male, young, or students take more trips. Models also show, however, members who reside in poorer neighborhoods ride more frequently. Disparities in bike share, but factors that affect ridership are complex. Gini Coefficients are a useful tool for comparing equity of access among subpopulations.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ADD20 Standing Committee on Social and Economic Factors of Transportation. Alternate title: Measuring Equity in Bikeshare Programs: A Case Study of the Twin Cities
• Authors:
  • Wang, Jueyu
  • Lindsey, Greg
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 97th Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2018-1-7 to 2018-1-11
• Date: 2018

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 9p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Access; Age; Bicycles; Case studies; Demographics; Equity; Gender; Income; Neighborhoods; Socioeconomic factors; Vehicle sharing
• Identifier Terms: Nice Ride
• Geographic Terms: Minneapolis (Minnesota); Saint Paul (Minnesota)
• Subject Areas: Economics; Operations and Traffic Management; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Planning and Forecasting; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01658482
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 18-06067
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Jan 31 2018 10:37AM