Understanding Spatio-Temporal Usage Patterns of Cargo Bike Sharing to Foster Market Diffusion

Abstract

Cargo bikes promote urban resilience as they ensure a local supply of goods, can be used flexibly, are reliable and require low energy, and can even be driven by muscle power. Further, they contribute to socially inclusive mobility. Although driving cargo bikes may require some training, they do not require a driving licence and can be available for different income ranges (e.g. in the form of cargo bike sharing). Thus, they also contribute to health-promoting mobility. Cargo bike sharing is a relevant solution to offer households a practical, environmentally friendly and cheaper mode of transport. According to public welfare-oriented goals, cargo bike sharing is often provided on behalf of, or with (financial) public sector support, in cooperation with residential developers or based on voluntary work in Austria and Germany. However, peer-to-peer cargo bike sharing offers and host-based sharing systems often do not meet all the criteria attributed to shared mobility services. In order to reach the full potential of cargo bike sharing, a better understanding of spatio-temporal usage patterns is needed to foster a shift towards higher quality service provision, especially regarding tailor-made services for different user groups. The following article investigates the role of availability and type of service provision by evaluating booking data and spatio-temporal data in three case studies. GPS tracking is rarely used to better understand cargo bike usage, but it reveals further knowledge of the characteristics of users and their spatial usage patterns. Based on three use cases, usage, users and spatial patterns of cargo bike sharing usage are analysed, the respective potentials are shown, and the added value of spatial data collection is discussed.