Public Bikesharing In North America : Early Operator and User Understanding [research brief].

Public bikesharing—the shared use of a bicycle fleet—is an innovative transportation strategy that has recently emerged in North America. Bikesharing systems typically position bicycles at docking stations for immediate access. Trips can be one-way or round-trip. As of January 2012, 15 information technology (IT)-based, public bikesharing systems had emerged in the United States—accounting for 172,070 users and 5,238 bicycles, and four IT-based programs accounted for 44,352 users and 6,235 bicycles in Canada. This study documents the state of public bikesharing in the U.S. and Canada and informs: • Key attributes and business models of these bikesharing operations; • Economics of bikesharing and insurance issues in North America; • Evolution of IT-based bikesharing in the U.S. and Canada; • Impact of bikesharing on walking, bicycling, public transit, and exercise; • Helmet use among users surveyed; • Purpose of bikesharing trips, bikesharing system use, and user perceptions; • Impact of public bikesharing on driving and vehicle ownership; and • Role of commute distance in public bikesharing use and travel pattern impacts.