Is Bicycling Contagious? Effects of Bike Share Stations and Activity on System Membership and General Population Cycling

Jessica Schoner, Greg Lindsey and David Levinson

No 137, Working Papers from University of Minnesota: Nexus Research Group

Abstract: This paper presents new evidence about the role of bike share systems in travel behavior using a diffusion of innovation framework. We hypothesize that bike share systems have a contagion or spillover effect on (H1) propensity to start using the system and (H2) propensity to bicycle among the general population. We test the first hypothesis by modeling membership growth as a function of both system expansion and the existing membership base. We test the second hypothesis by using bike share activity levels near one’s home in a model of household-level bicycle participation and trip frequency. Our study shows mixed results. Bike share membership growth appears to be driven, in a small part, by a contagion effect of existing bike share members nearby. However, we did not identify a significant relationship between proximity to bike share and cycling participation or frequency among the general population. The findings hold implications for marketing, infrastructure investments, and future research about bike share innovation diffusion and spillover effects.

Keywords: Bike Share; Diffusion of Innovation; Travel Behavior (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L91 O33 R14 R41 R42 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ino, nep-tre and nep-ure
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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http://hdl.handle.net/11299/180073 First version, 2015 (application/pdf)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nex:wpaper:bicyclingcontagious

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