The effects of bike-sharing-transit integration on accessibility equity

Abstract

Contemporary urban and transportation planning prioritizes accessibility and aims to reduce inequality in access to opportunities. Current efforts in transport integration focus on enhancing intermodal services and decreasing car usage, aligning with these objectives. However, the impact of transport integration on accessibility and social challenges remains largely unexplored. The degree to which integrating public and shared transport modes (as advocated by contemporary models such as Mobility as a Service, or MaaS) helps reduce social and territorial inequalities in accessing opportunities is still unclear. We calculated accessibility levels for nine urban opportunities, considering public transportation and bike-sharing integration, and assessed inequality in these contexts. The results indicate increased territorial accessibility, particularly in peripheral areas connected to docking stations. Population-based results mirrored territorial trends, showing minimal changes and comparable reductions in inequality for access to opportunities across various activity types. However, two of the nine opportunity types exhibited increased inequality levels, underscoring the importance of transport and land-use policies for enhancing accessibility.