Exploring the modal integration of bike-sharing and urban rail transit: Multi-Criteria Evaluation in GIS for the city of Salvador (Bahia – Brazil)

Bike-sharing systems (BSS) have become increasingly popular in developing countries. However, few papers have investigated their use in these socioeconomic contexts, mainly as first/last mile connections to urban rail transit. Thus, this paper investigates the potential of implementing and operating BSS in urban rail transit from a developing country to propose strategies and policies for sustainable mobility. The methodology is based on Multi-Criteria Evaluation (MCE) in Geographic Information System (GIS) to identify the suitability of urban rail stations for integration with BSS. Seven key factors were considered: sex, age, travel purposes, public security, land use, terrain slope, and qualification of the road network for cycling. It already delineates the potential users upon adopting the BSS integrated with urban rail transit. Additionally, each urban rail station is individually analyzed, considering the influence of predominant demand and environmental factors in its surroundings.