A micromobility solution for household logistics? Determinants of shared bicycle trailers usage

Abstract

Cycling is a solution to decarbonize urban transport of people and goods. Shared solutions, such as shared bike trailers, facilitate the expansion of micromobility offerings within urban areas. However, such solutions are currently understudied, hence underestimated for freight transport in cities. This paper explains how shared bike trailer networks can have success in different urban environments, and analyses how this type of shared micromobility vehicles can be a cycle logistics solution applied to household logistics. Based on operational data of two shared bike trailer services, we have developed a model based on a Quasi-Poisson model and a clustering method with socio-demographic and geographic data that explains the use of these services. The results show success and failures factors of trailers in two different cities on different continents. Socioeconomic factors and zoning characteristics, and accessibility to transport options play significant roles in determining the success of bike trailer loans, with residential and commercial zoning being particularly influential in Montreal, while service zoning negatively affects trailer use in Brussels. Successful trailers are mainly located in residential and mixed-use areas. Trailers are used for different purposes, such as house moving, grocery shopping and leisure activities involving freight transportation. This mean a possibility for bike trailer to be one solution in the choices of alternative mobility to avoid vans or cars.