Barriers, Adoption, and Use of a Bike-Sharing System: A Market-Segment Approach to Current and Potential Users in...

Bike-sharing systems have gained considerable traction as a solution to many urban transport challenges. (Note that, in this paper, "bike" means "bicycle," not "motorbike".) Limited research has explored the market dynamics driving bike-sharing usage among different population segments. This study is the first to apply a market-segmenting approach to analyze factors influencing both existing and potential users' adoption of a bike-sharing system in Montréal, Canada. Utilizing a bilingual online survey conducted in spring, 2024, this research investigates the factors that limit or prevent the use of a large-scale bicycle-sharing system-Bixi-among different population groups. This work applies factor and k-means cluster analyses to identify distinct profiles within existing users (N = 561) and non-users (N = 763) of Bixi. The findings reveal key barriers faced both by users and non-users, particularly highlighting the need for expanding station availability in underserved areas. These findings address important equity issues. Measures to address cost and membership-related challenges would have the greatest impact on bringing low-income non-users into the system, while improving mobile technology accessibility would have the most significant effect on increasing adoption among younger, low-income groups. These insights can be of interest to policy developers aiming to expand bike-sharing systems service quality, enhance its resilience, and promote more equitable outcomes.