Oliver O’Brien is gradually becoming a great expert on bike-sharing systems. Together with James Cheshire and Michael Batty, Oliver published a paper last month analyzing an impressive amount of data from 38 systems around the globe.
Abstract:
" [...] This paper is the first to take a global view of bike-sharing characteristics by analysing data from 38 systems located in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australasia and the Americas. To achieve this, an extensive database depicting the geographical location and bicycle occupancy of each docking station within a particular system has been created over a number of years to chart the usage in the chosen systems (and others) and provide a consistent basis on which to compare and classify them. Analysis of the variation of occupancy rates over time, and comparison across the system’s extent, infers the likely demographics and intentions of user groups. A classification of bike-shares, based on the geographical footprint and diurnal, day-of-week and spatial variations in occupancy rates, is proposed. [...] "
[Image Credit: Oliver O’Brien]
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