IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/transa/v101y2017icp11-21.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Hail a cab or ride a bike? A travel time comparison of taxi and bicycle-sharing systems in New York City

Author

Listed:
  • Faghih-Imani, Ahmadreza
  • Anowar, Sabreena
  • Miller, Eric J.
  • Eluru, Naveen

Abstract

In this paper, we examine the hypothesis that bicycles can compete with cars in terms of travel time in dense urban areas. We conduct a detailed investigation of the differences in observed travel times by taxi and a bicycle-sharing system (BSS) in New York City in 2014. The taxi trips with origins and destinations in proximity to BSS stations are identified and compared to BSS trips from the same origin and destinations. The travel time comparison is conducted along following dimensions: (a) all trips, (b) temporal dimension including different time periods of the day, weekday versus weekend, and seasonal variation, and (c) distance categories. It is found that during weekdays’ AM, Midday and PM time periods for more than half of OD pairs with distance less than 3km, BSS is either faster or competitive with taxi mode. To further shed light on the travel time comparison, we develop a multivariate analysis using a random utility framework in the form of a panel mixed multinomial logit model. Identifying and understanding the factors that influence the travel time differences can help planners to enhance the BSS service offerings. The provision of information to bicycling-inclined individuals on the “faster” alternative could be used as a marketing tool to attract higher usage for BSS within dense urban cores. The comparison of BSS and taxi can also shed light on the competition between bicycle and car modes in general in dense urban areas.

Suggested Citation

  • Faghih-Imani, Ahmadreza & Anowar, Sabreena & Miller, Eric J. & Eluru, Naveen, 2017. "Hail a cab or ride a bike? A travel time comparison of taxi and bicycle-sharing systems in New York City," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 11-21.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:transa:v:101:y:2017:i:c:p:11-21
    DOI: 10.1016/j.tra.2017.05.006
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965856416306978
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.tra.2017.05.006?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Faghih-Imani, Ahmadreza & Eluru, Naveen, 2016. "Incorporating the impact of spatio-temporal interactions on bicycle sharing system demand: A case study of New York CitiBike system," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 218-227.
    2. J. Hunt & J. Abraham, 2007. "Influences on bicycle use," Transportation, Springer, vol. 34(4), pages 453-470, July.
    3. Wong, R.C.P. & Szeto, W.Y. & Wong, S.C., 2014. "Bi-level decisions of vacant taxi drivers traveling towards taxi stands in customer-search: Modeling methodology and policy implications," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 33(C), pages 73-81.
    4. Elliot Fishman, 2016. "Bikeshare: A Review of Recent Literature," Transport Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(1), pages 92-113, January.
    5. Judd Cramer & Alan B. Krueger, 2016. "Disruptive Change in the Taxi Business: The Case of Uber," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 106(5), pages 177-182, May.
    6. Schaller, Bruce, 2007. "Entry controls in taxi regulation: Implications of US and Canadian experience for taxi regulation and deregulation," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 14(6), pages 490-506, November.
    7. Rayle, Lisa & Dai, Danielle & Chan, Nelson & Cervero, Robert & Shaheen, Susan PhD, 2016. "Just A Better Taxi? A Survey-Based Comparison of Taxis, Transit, and Ridesourcing Services in San Francisco," Institute of Transportation Studies, Research Reports, Working Papers, Proceedings qt60v8r346, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Berkeley.
    8. Faghih-Imani, Ahmadreza & Eluru, Naveen, 2016. "Determining the role of bicycle sharing system infrastructure installation decision on usage: Case study of montreal BIXI system," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 685-698.
    9. Rayle, Lisa & Dai, Danielle & Chan, Nelson & Cervero, Robert & Shaheen, Susan, 2016. "Just a better taxi? A survey-based comparison of taxis, transit, and ridesourcing services in San Francisco," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 168-178.
    10. Kyle Gebhart & Robert Noland, 2014. "The impact of weather conditions on bikeshare trips in Washington, DC," Transportation, Springer, vol. 41(6), pages 1205-1225, November.
    11. Çetin, Tamer & Yasin Eryigit, Kadir, 2011. "Estimating the effects of entry regulation in the Istanbul taxicab market," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 45(6), pages 476-484, July.
    12. Yang, Hai & Wong, S. C., 1998. "A network model of urban taxi services," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 32(4), pages 235-246, May.
    13. Wong, K.I. & Wong, S.C. & Yang, Hai & Wu, J.H., 2008. "Modeling urban taxi services with multiple user classes and vehicle modes," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 42(10), pages 985-1007, December.
    14. Harding, Simon & Kandlikar, Milind & Gulati, Sumeet, 2016. "Taxi apps, regulation, and the market for taxi journeys," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 15-25.
    15. Bhat, Chandra R. & Sardesai, Rupali, 2006. "The impact of stop-making and travel time reliability on commute mode choice," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 40(9), pages 709-730, November.
    16. Faghih-Imani, Ahmadreza & Eluru, Naveen & El-Geneidy, Ahmed M. & Rabbat, Michael & Haq, Usama, 2014. "How land-use and urban form impact bicycle flows: evidence from the bicycle-sharing system (BIXI) in Montreal," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 306-314.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Bakó, Barna & Berezvai, Zombor & Isztin, Péter & Vigh, Enikő Zita, 2020. "Does Uber affect bicycle-sharing usage? Evidence from a natural experiment in Budapest," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 290-302.
    2. Todd, James & O'Brien, Oliver & Cheshire, James, 2021. "A global comparison of bicycle sharing systems," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    3. Gao, Kun & Yang, Ying & Li, Aoyong & Li, Junhong & Yu, Bo, 2021. "Quantifying economic benefits from free-floating bike-sharing systems: A trip-level inference approach and city-scale analysis," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 89-103.
    4. Teixeira, João Filipe & Silva, Cecília & Moura e Sá, Frederico, 2023. "Factors influencing modal shift to bike sharing: Evidence from a travel survey conducted during COVID-19," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    5. Cao, Zhejing & Zhang, Xiaohu & Chua, Kelman & Yu, Honghai & Zhao, Jinhua, 2021. "E-scooter sharing to serve short-distance transit trips: A Singapore case," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 177-196.
    6. Liu, Junrong & Duan, Qihong & Ma, Wen-Xiu, 2020. "The evolution of a clogging sidewalk caused by a dockless bicycle-sharing system: A stochastic particles model," Mathematics and Computers in Simulation (MATCOM), Elsevier, vol. 177(C), pages 516-526.
    7. Albiński, Szymon & Fontaine, Pirmin & Minner, Stefan, 2018. "Performance analysis of a hybrid bike sharing system: A service-level-based approach under censored demand observations," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 59-69.
    8. He, Brian Y. & Zhou, Jinkai & Ma, Ziyi & Chow, Joseph Y.J. & Ozbay, Kaan, 2020. "Evaluation of city-scale built environment policies in New York City with an emerging-mobility-accessible synthetic population," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 444-467.
    9. Hu, Yujie & Zhang, Yongping & Lamb, David & Zhang, Mingming & Jia, Peng, 2019. "Examining and optimizing the BCycle bike-sharing system – A pilot study in Colorado, US," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 247(C), pages 1-12.
    10. Wang, Hai & Yang, Hai, 2019. "Ridesourcing systems: A framework and review," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 122-155.
    11. Kirtonia, Sajeeb & Sun, Yanshuo, 2022. "Evaluating rail transit's comparative advantages in travel cost and time over taxi with open data in two U.S. cities," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 75-87.
    12. Guo, Yuhan & Li, Jinning & Xiao, Linfan & Allaoui, Hamid & Choudhary, Alok & Zhang, Lufang, 2024. "Efficient inventory routing for Bike-Sharing Systems: A combinatorial reinforcement learning framework," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 182(C).
    13. Tang, Jinjun & Gao, Fan & Han, Chunyang & Cen, Xuekai & Li, Zhitao, 2021. "Uncovering the spatially heterogeneous effects of shared mobility on public transit and taxi," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    14. Zhou, Xiaolu & Wang, Mingshu & Li, Dongying, 2019. "Bike-sharing or taxi? Modeling the choices of travel mode in Chicago using machine learning," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 1-1.
    15. Dehdari Ebrahimi, Zhila & Momenitabar, Mohsen & Nasri, Arefeh A. & Mattson, Jeremy, 2022. "Using a GIS-based spatial approach to determine the optimal locations of bikeshare stations: The case of Washington D.C," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 48-60.
    16. Li, Lili & Li, Xiaohan & Yu, Senbin & Li, Xiaojia & Dai, Jiaqi, 2022. "Unbalanced usage of free-floating bike sharing connecting with metro stations," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 608(P1).
    17. Lv, Huitao & Li, Haojie & Chen, Yanlu & Feng, Tao, 2023. "An origin-destination level analysis on the competitiveness of bike-sharing to underground using explainable machine learning," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    18. Ding, Hongliang & Lu, Yuhuan & Sze, N.N. & Li, Haojie, 2022. "Effect of dockless bike-sharing scheme on the demand for London Cycle Hire at the disaggregate level using a deep learning approach," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 166(C), pages 150-163.
    19. Oviedo, Daniel & Sabogal-Cardona, Orlando, 2022. "Arguments for cycling as a mechanism for sustainable modal shifts in Bogotá," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    20. Sun, Yanshuo & Kirtonia, Sajeeb, 2020. "Identifying regional characteristics of transportation research with Transport Research International Documentation (TRID) data," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 137(C), pages 111-130.
    21. Wang, Yacan & Yang, Ying & Wang, Jiaping & Douglas, Matthew & Su, Duan, 2021. "Examining the influence of social norms on orderly parking behavior of dockless bike-sharing users," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 284-296.
    22. Papaix, Claire & Eranova, Mariya & Zhou, Li, 2023. "Shared mobility research: Looking through a paradox lens," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 156-167.
    23. Lei, Yiyuan & Ozbay, Kaan, 2021. "A robust analysis of the impacts of the stay-at-home policy on taxi and Citi Bike usage: A case study of Manhattan," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 487-498.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Szeto, W.Y. & Wong, R.C.P. & Yang, W.H., 2019. "Guiding vacant taxi drivers to demand locations by taxi-calling signals: A sequential binary logistic regression modeling approach and policy implications," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 100-110.
    2. Kumar Dey, Bibhas & Anowar, Sabreena & Eluru, Naveen, 2021. "A framework for estimating bikeshare origin destination flows using a multiple discrete continuous system," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 119-133.
    3. Mix, Richard & Hurtubia, Ricardo & Raveau, Sebastián, 2022. "Optimal location of bike-sharing stations: A built environment and accessibility approach," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 160(C), pages 126-142.
    4. Sun, Daniel(Jian) & Ding, Xueqing, 2019. "Spatiotemporal evolution of ridesourcing markets under the new restriction policy: A case study in Shanghai," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 227-239.
    5. Thorsten Heilker & Gernot Sieg, 2017. "A duopoly of transportation network companies and traditional radio-taxi dispatch service agencies," Working Papers 24, Institute of Transport Economics, University of Muenster.
    6. Wang, Hai & Yang, Hai, 2019. "Ridesourcing systems: A framework and review," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 122-155.
    7. Zhang, Kenan & Nie, Yu (Marco), 2022. "Mitigating traffic congestion induced by transportation network companies: A policy analysis," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 159(C), pages 96-118.
    8. Wang, Kailai & Chen, Yu-Jen, 2020. "Joint analysis of the impacts of built environment on bikeshare station capacity and trip attractions," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    9. Xu, Zhengtian & Yin, Yafeng & Zha, Liteng, 2017. "Optimal parking provision for ride-sourcing services," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 559-578.
    10. Xiong, Ziyue & Jian Li, & Wu, Hangbin, 2021. "Understanding operation patterns of urban online ride-hailing services: A case study of Xiamen," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 100-118.
    11. Cetin, Tamer & Deakin, Elizabeth, 2019. "Regulation of taxis and the rise of ridesharing," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 149-158.
    12. Wong, R.C.P. & Szeto, W.Y., 2018. "An alternative methodology for evaluating the service quality of urban taxis," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 132-140.
    13. Wang, Kailai & Akar, Gulsah, 2019. "Gender gap generators for bike share ridership: Evidence from Citi Bike system in New York City," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 1-9.
    14. Suzanne Maas & Paraskevas Nikolaou & Maria Attard & Loukas Dimitriou, 2021. "Heat, Hills and the High Season: A Model-Based Comparative Analysis of Spatio-Temporal Factors Affecting Shared Bicycle Use in Three Southern European Islands," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-21, March.
    15. Wang, Kailai & Akar, Gulsah & Chen, Yu-Jen, 2018. "Bike sharing differences among Millennials, Gen Xers, and Baby Boomers: Lessons learnt from New York City’s bike share," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 1-14.
    16. Shokoohyar, Sina & Sobhani, Ahmad & Sobhani, Anae, 2020. "Impacts of trip characteristics and weather condition on ride-sourcing network: Evidence from Uber and Lyft," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    17. Yang, W.H. & Wong, R.C.P. & Szeto, W.Y., 2018. "Modeling the acceptance of taxi owners and drivers to operate premium electric taxis: Policy insights into improving taxi service quality and reducing air pollution," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 581-593.
    18. Vignon, Daniel & Yin, Yafeng & Ke, Jintao, 2023. "Regulating the ride-hailing market in the age of uberization," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    19. Zhang, Yufeng & Khani, Alireza, 2021. "Integrating transit systems with ride-sourcing services: A study on the system users’ stochastic equilibrium problem," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 95-123.
    20. Zhou, Xiaolu & Wang, Mingshu & Li, Dongying, 2019. "Bike-sharing or taxi? Modeling the choices of travel mode in Chicago using machine learning," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 1-1.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:transa:v:101:y:2017:i:c:p:11-21. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/547/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.