Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 on Bike-Sharing Usage: The Case of Thessaloniki, Greece

Andreas Nikiforiadis, Georgia Ayfantopoulou and Afroditi Stamelou
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Andreas Nikiforiadis: Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), Hellenic Institute of Transport, 57001 Thermi, Greece
Georgia Ayfantopoulou: Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), Hellenic Institute of Transport, 57001 Thermi, Greece
Afroditi Stamelou: Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), Hellenic Institute of Transport, 57001 Thermi, Greece

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 19, 1-12

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant effect in urban mobility, while essential changes are being observed in travelers’ behavior. Travelers in many cases shifted to other transport modes, especially walking and cycling, for minimizing the risk of infection. This study attempts to investigate the impact that COVID-19 had on travelers’ perceptions towards bike-sharing systems and whether the pandemic could result in a greater or lesser share of trips that are being conducted through shared bikes. For that reason, a questionnaire survey was carried out in the city of Thessaloniki, Greece, and the responses of 223 people were analyzed statistically. The results of the analysis show that COVID-19 will not affect significantly the number of people using bike-sharing for their trips. However, for a proportion of people, bike-sharing is now more attractive. Moreover, the results indicate that bike-sharing is now more likely to become a more preferable mobility option for people who were previously commuting with private cars as passengers (not as drivers) and people who were already registered users in a bike-sharing system. The results also provide evidence about the importance of safety towards COVID-19 for engaging more users in bike-sharing, in order to provide them with a safe mobility option and contribute to the city’s resilience and sustainability.

Keywords: urban mobility; bike-sharing; COVID-19; pandemic; resilience; modal shift (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (24)

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