A study on estimating the potential demand for bike sharing systems in regional cities

Abstract

In Japan, the role of “bike sharing systems” is expected to play in addressing issues such as the environment, transportation, and health promotion, as well as in urban development that prioritizes public transportation based on the concept of “compact＋network”，and they are gradually being implemented not only in metropolitan areas but also in regional cities.

On the other hand, local cities are becoming increasingly suburbanized and car-dependent, and there is a lack of guidelines on whether there is sufficient demand for shared bicycles, and on the scale and location of ports to be used.

This study proposes a method to construct a highly accurate demand forecasting model using actual data on the use of shared bicycles in several local cities and open data available nationwide, and by applying this model to cities and towns across Japan where shared bicycles have not yet been implemented, we propose an appropriate size and placement. This model is then applied to cities and towns across Japan that have not yet implemented shared-cycle systems. By doing so, we aim to contribute to the promotion of shared bicycles and the improvement of urban transportation.