Social Factors Influencing the Choice of Bicycle: Difference Analysis among Private Bike, Public Bike Sharing and Free-Floating Bike Sharing in Kunming, China

The emergence of free-floating bike sharing (FFBS) has made essential changes in urban bicycle travel. In order to explore the differences of travel behavior among private bicycle (PB), public bicycle sharing (PBS) and FFBS, a survey was conducted in Kunming, China in 2018. Firstly, the differences of travel characteristics among these three modes were analyzed based on 522 valid questionnaires. Then, a multinomial logistic model was applied to explore the influential factors among them. The results show that: 1) PB and FFBS are more attractive for long-distance travel enthusiasts compared with PBS, PB is rarely used for transfer in suburbs while FFBS is the most desirable in connecting other travel modes. The theft problem and high maintenance costs are main obstacles for PB. 2) The elderly, high-income and non-student groups in inflexible travel activities show a preference for PBS, while the young, low-income and student groups in flexible travel demands have a tendency towards FFBS. 3) PB and PBS imped the use of FFBS to a certain extent, while PB seems to have less impact on PBS. 4) FFBS is desirable in temporary travel demand while PBS is more preferable in fixed demand. Interestingly, residents with registered permanent residence tend to use PBS while those without registered permanent residence prefer FFBS. Finally, several management strategies and policy recommendations were proposed for the government and FFBS enterprises to improve the management of bicycles.