Gender dynamics in electric bike-sharing: Insights on usage and fare structures

Abstract

Bike-sharing systems offer an efficient urban mobility solution by reducing traffic congestion, improving health, reducing pollution and promoting intermodality. Designing a pricing strategy for urban electric bicycle rental systems is an important issue to guarantee the desired levels of system adoption. This research explores gender differences in willingness to pay for and use electric bike-sharing services through two case studies, Santander (Spain) and Cartagena (Colombia). The methodology involved creating a survey to collect data on the socioeconomic characteristics of participants, their current patterns of bicycle use, and their future use of the electric bike-sharing system. Additionally, the survey explores preferences for e-bike system prices through a stated preference experiment. Various discrete choice models were estimated to evaluate willingness to pay and elasticities based on different pricing scenarios, including per-use tariffs and annual subscriptions. The results provide variations in context and gender in the perceived value and willingness to pay for bike-sharing services. The study of elasticities reveals that users in Santander are more sensitive to changes in subscription costs and pay-per-use fees than users in Cartagena. Also, women are more sensitive to price changes in both contexts, with higher sensitivity in Santander. This research contributes to an understanding of the factors that influence the acceptance and use of e-bike systems, highlighting the influence of gender when designing and assessing the suitability of rental bike systems in different cities.