IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v12y2020i19p8215-d424062.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 on Bike-Sharing Usage: The Case of Thessaloniki, Greece

Author

Listed:
  • Andreas Nikiforiadis

    (Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), Hellenic Institute of Transport, 57001 Thermi, Greece)

  • Georgia Ayfantopoulou

    (Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), Hellenic Institute of Transport, 57001 Thermi, Greece)

  • Afroditi Stamelou

    (Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), Hellenic Institute of Transport, 57001 Thermi, Greece)

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant effect in urban mobility, while essential changes are being observed in travelers’ behavior. Travelers in many cases shifted to other transport modes, especially walking and cycling, for minimizing the risk of infection. This study attempts to investigate the impact that COVID-19 had on travelers’ perceptions towards bike-sharing systems and whether the pandemic could result in a greater or lesser share of trips that are being conducted through shared bikes. For that reason, a questionnaire survey was carried out in the city of Thessaloniki, Greece, and the responses of 223 people were analyzed statistically. The results of the analysis show that COVID-19 will not affect significantly the number of people using bike-sharing for their trips. However, for a proportion of people, bike-sharing is now more attractive. Moreover, the results indicate that bike-sharing is now more likely to become a more preferable mobility option for people who were previously commuting with private cars as passengers (not as drivers) and people who were already registered users in a bike-sharing system. The results also provide evidence about the importance of safety towards COVID-19 for engaging more users in bike-sharing, in order to provide them with a safe mobility option and contribute to the city’s resilience and sustainability.

Suggested Citation

  • Andreas Nikiforiadis & Georgia Ayfantopoulou & Afroditi Stamelou, 2020. "Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 on Bike-Sharing Usage: The Case of Thessaloniki, Greece," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-12, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:19:p:8215-:d:424062
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/19/8215/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/19/8215/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Saberi, Meead & Ghamami, Mehrnaz & Gu, Yi & Shojaei, Mohammad Hossein (Sam) & Fishman, Elliot, 2018. "Understanding the impacts of a public transit disruption on bicycle sharing mobility patterns: A case of Tube strike in London," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 154-166.
    2. Alfredo Aloi & Borja Alonso & Juan Benavente & Rubén Cordera & Eneko Echániz & Felipe González & Claudio Ladisa & Raquel Lezama-Romanelli & Álvaro López-Parra & Vittorio Mazzei & Lucía Perrucci & Darí, 2020. "Effects of the COVID-19 Lockdown on Urban Mobility: Empirical Evidence from the City of Santander (Spain)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-18, May.
    3. Tiziana Campisi & Giovanna Acampa & Giorgia Marino & Giovanni Tesoriere, 2020. "Cycling Master Plans in Italy: The I-BIM Feasibility Tool for Cost and Safety Assessments," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-20, June.
    4. Suau-Sanchez, Pere & Voltes-Dorta, Augusto & Cugueró-Escofet, Natàlia, 2020. "An early assessment of the impact of COVID-19 on air transport: Just another crisis or the end of aviation as we know it?," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    5. Michael Batty, 2020. "The Coronavirus crisis: What will the post-pandemic city look like?," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 47(4), pages 547-552, June.
    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. Ali Bakdur & Fumito Masui & Michal Ptaszynski, 2021. "Predicting Increase in Demand for Public Buses in University Students Daily Life Needs: Case Study Based on a City in Japan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-28, May.
    2. Hugo de Alba-Martínez & Alejandro L. Grindlay & Gabriela Ochoa-Covarrubias, 2020. "(In)Equitable Accessibility to Sustainable Transport from Universities in the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area, Mexico," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-18, December.
    3. Farrukh Baig & Konstantinos Kirytopoulos & Jaeyoung Lee & Evangelos Tsamilis & Ruizhi Mao & Panagiotis Ntzeremes, 2022. "Changes in People’s Mobility Behavior in Greece after the COVID-19 Outbreak," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-22, March.
    4. Schaefer, Kerstin J. & Tuitjer, Leonie & Levin-Keitel, Meike, 2021. "Transport disrupted – Substituting public transport by bike or car under Covid 19," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 202-217.
    5. Zhang, Yunchang & Fricker, Jon D., 2021. "Quantifying the impact of COVID-19 on non-motorized transportation: A Bayesian structural time series model," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 11-20.
    6. Michał Roman & Kumar Bhatta & Monika Roman & Prakash Gautam, 2021. "Socio-Economic Factors Influencing Travel Decision-Making of Poles and Nepalis during the COVID-19 Pandemic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(20), pages 1-16, October.
    7. 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).
    8. Guadalupe González-Sánchez & María Isabel Olmo-Sánchez & Elvira Maeso-González, 2021. "Challenges and Strategies for Post-COVID-19 Gender Equity and Sustainable Mobility," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-19, February.
    9. Maria Morfoulaki & Jason Papathanasiou, 2021. "Use of the Sustainable Mobility Efficiency Index (SMEI) for Enhancing the Sustainable Urban Mobility in Greek Cities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-16, February.
    10. Valenzuela-Levi, N. & Echiburu, T. & Correa, J. & Hurtubia, R. & Muñoz, J.C., 2021. "Housing and accessibility after the COVID-19 pandemic: Rebuilding for resilience, equity and sustainable mobility," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 48-60.
    11. Hu, Songhua & Xiong, Chenfeng & Liu, Zhanqin & Zhang, Lei, 2021. "Examining spatiotemporal changing patterns of bike-sharing usage during COVID-19 pandemic," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    12. Leonardo Caggiani & Rosalia Camporeale & Zahra Hamidi & Chunli Zhao, 2021. "Evaluating the Efficiency of Bike-Sharing Stations with Data Envelopment Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-21, January.
    13. Luis Pérez-Dominguez & Sara-Nohemí Almeraz Durán & Roberto Romero López & Iván Juan Carlos Pérez-Olguin & David Luviano-Cruz & Jesús Andrés Hernández Gómez, 2021. "Assessment Urban Transport Service and Pythagorean Fuzzy Sets CODAS Method: A Case of Study of Ciudad Juárez," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-18, January.
    14. Alexandros Nikitas & Stefanos Tsigdinos & Christos Karolemeas & Efthymia Kourmpa & Efthimios Bakogiannis, 2021. "Cycling in the Era of COVID-19: Lessons Learnt and Best Practice Policy Recommendations for a More Bike-Centric Future," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-25, April.
    15. Apantri Peungnumsai & Hiroyuki Miyazaki & Apichon Witayangkurn & Sohee Minsun Kim, 2020. "A Grid-Based Spatial Analysis for Detecting Supply–Demand Gaps of Public Transports: A Case Study of the Bangkok Metropolitan Region," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(24), pages 1-27, December.
    16. Teixeira, João Filipe & Silva, Cecília & Moura e Sá, Frederico, 2022. "The strengths and weaknesses of bike sharing as an alternative mode during disruptive public health crisis: A qualitative analysis on the users’ motivations during COVID-19," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 24-37.
    17. Miriam Pirra & Sofia Kalakou & Angela Carboni & Mariana Costa & Marco Diana & Ana Rita Lynce, 2021. "A Preliminary Analysis on Gender Aspects in Transport Systems and Mobility Services: Presentation of a Survey Design," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-20, March.
    18. Xiaozhou Ye, 2022. "Bike-Sharing Adoption in Cross-National Contexts: An Empirical Research on the Factors Affecting Users’ Intentions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-19, March.
    19. Filipe Teixeira, João & Silva, Cecília & Moura e Sá, Frederico, 2022. "The role of bike sharing during the coronavirus pandemic: An analysis of the mobility patterns and perceptions of Lisbon’s GIRA users," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 159(C), pages 17-34.
    20. Katarzyna Turoń & Andrzej Kubik & Feng Chen, 2021. "Electric Shared Mobility Services during the Pandemic: Modeling Aspects of Transportation," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-19, May.
    21. Shang, Wen-Long & Chen, Jinyu & Bi, Huibo & Sui, Yi & Chen, Yanyan & Yu, Haitao, 2021. "Impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on user behaviors and environmental benefits of bike sharing: A big-data analysis," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 285(C).
    22. 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. Luca Barbarossa, 2020. "The Post Pandemic City: Challenges and Opportunities for a Non-Motorized Urban Environment. An Overview of Italian Cases," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-19, September.
    2. Dongdong Feng & Lin Cheng & Mingyang Du, 2020. "Exploring the Impact of Dockless Bikeshare on Docked Bikeshare—A Case Study in London," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-18, July.
    3. Sarbast Moslem & Tiziana Campisi & Agnieszka Szmelter-Jarosz & Szabolcs Duleba & Kh Md Nahiduzzaman & Giovanni Tesoriere, 2020. "Best–Worst Method for Modelling Mobility Choice after COVID-19: Evidence from Italy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-19, August.
    4. Fang, Da & Guo, Yan, 2022. "Flow of goods to the shock of COVID-19 and toll-free highway policy: Evidence from logistics data in China," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    5. Veronika Harantová & Ambróz Hájnik & Alica Kalašová & Tomasz Figlus, 2022. "The Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Traffic Flow Characteristics, Emissions Production and Fuel Consumption at a Selected Intersection in Slovakia," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-21, March.
    6. Sarker, Rumana Islam & Kaplan, Sigal & Mailer, Markus & Timmermans, Harry J.P., 2019. "Applying affective event theory to explain transit users’ reactions to service disruptions," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 593-605.
    7. Morlotti, Chiara & Redondi, Renato, 2023. "The impact of COVID-19 on airlines’ price curves," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 107(C).
    8. Arkadiusz Jozwiak & Tomasz R. Wasniewski & Mieczyslaw Pawlisiak & Ewa Brozyna, 2020. "The Use of Virtual Reality in Air Transport During a Pandemic," European Research Studies Journal, European Research Studies Journal, vol. 0(Special 3), pages 62-70.
    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. Li, Haojie & Zhang, Yingheng & Zhu, Manman & Ren, Gang, 2021. "Impacts of COVID-19 on the usage of public bicycle share in London," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 140-155.
    11. Lu Cheng & Zhifu Mi & D’Maris Coffman & Jing Meng & Dining Liu & Dongfeng Chang, 2022. "The Role of Bike Sharing in Promoting Transport Resilience," Networks and Spatial Economics, Springer, vol. 22(3), pages 567-585, September.
    12. Hiney, Noel & Efthymiou, Marina & Morgenroth, Edgar, 2023. "Impact of Covid-19 on Irish airport stakeholder relationships," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    13. Cumelles, Joel & Lordan, Oriol & Sallan, Jose M., 2021. "Cascading failures in airport networks," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    14. Li, Siping & Zhou, Yaoming & Kundu, Tanmoy & Zhang, Fangni, 2021. "Impact of entry restriction policies on international air transport connectivity during COVID-19 pandemic," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 152(C).
    15. Borsati, Mattia & Nocera, Silvio & Percoco, Marco, 2022. "Questioning the spatial association between the initial spread of COVID-19 and transit usage in Italy," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    16. Chen, Enhui & Stathopoulos, Amanda & Nie, Yu (Marco), 2022. "Transfer station choice in a multimodal transit system: An empirical study," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 165(C), pages 337-355.
    17. Yiu, Cho Yin & Ng, Kam K.H. & Yu, Simon C.M. & Yu, Chun Wah, 2022. "Sustaining aviation workforce after the pandemic: Evidence from Hong Kong aviation students toward skills, specialised training, and career prospects through a mixed-method approach," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 179-192.
    18. Sun, Xiaoqian & Wandelt, Sebastian & Zhang, Anming, 2021. "Technological and educational challenges towards pandemic-resilient aviation," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 104-115.
    19. Song, Jie & Zhang, Liye & Qin, Zheng & Ramli, Muhamad Azfar, 2022. "Spatiotemporal evolving patterns of bike-share mobility networks and their associations with land-use conditions before and after the COVID-19 outbreak," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 592(C).
    20. Salesi, Vinolia Kilinaivoni & Kan Tsui, Wai Hong & Fu, Xiaowen & Gilbey, Andrew, 2022. "Stakeholder perceptions of the impacts of aviation subsidies in the South Pacific Region," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).

    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:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:19:p:8215-:d:424062. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    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.