TY - GEN

T1 - Smart and Inclusive Bicycling? Non-users’ Experience of Bike-Sharing Schemes in Scandinavia

AU - Breengaard, Michala Hvidt

AU - Henriksson, Malin

AU - Wallsten, Anna

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2021, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

PY - 2021

Y1 - 2021

N2 - Being both affordable and sustainable, bike-sharing schemes have a promising potential of providing smart and sustainable mobility solutions for all. However, for bike-sharing to become part of a convenient, sustainable, and accessible mobility system, it must meet the needs of a wide range of users. Today, existing supply of bike-sharing schemes rarely take diversity into account: people who travel with kids, people who do not feel secure in biking or people who carry heavy luggage, do not have the opportunity to use the system. The lack of diversity in the contemporary bike-sharing supply presents a problem for visions of smart mobility for all. While a body of research points to differences in bicycling due to socio-economic factors and norms, there is little knowledge on how diverse mobility needs affect the attractiveness of using a bike-sharing scheme. This paper addresses non-users’ perceptions of public bike-sharing schemes in Denmark and Sweden. The empirical material includes 14 in-depth interviews and two focus groups with non-users. Research questions include what everyday mobility needs the informants have, and if they can be meet by the local bike-sharing scheme, as well as how the bike-sharing scheme meets the diversity in restrictions, needs, and preferences of transport. The paper finds that non-use of bike-sharing schemes in Scandinavia can be explained through three overall narratives: ‘I have my own bicycle’, ‘I travel with kids’, and ‘I don’t feel safe.’ It argues that obstacles of using bike-sharing schemes in part can be explained the ‘one fits all’ approach that dominates bike-sharing design today. By adding a perspective on diversity, the paper contributes to filling the research gap in new mobility solutions and diversity.

AB - Being both affordable and sustainable, bike-sharing schemes have a promising potential of providing smart and sustainable mobility solutions for all. However, for bike-sharing to become part of a convenient, sustainable, and accessible mobility system, it must meet the needs of a wide range of users. Today, existing supply of bike-sharing schemes rarely take diversity into account: people who travel with kids, people who do not feel secure in biking or people who carry heavy luggage, do not have the opportunity to use the system. The lack of diversity in the contemporary bike-sharing supply presents a problem for visions of smart mobility for all. While a body of research points to differences in bicycling due to socio-economic factors and norms, there is little knowledge on how diverse mobility needs affect the attractiveness of using a bike-sharing scheme. This paper addresses non-users’ perceptions of public bike-sharing schemes in Denmark and Sweden. The empirical material includes 14 in-depth interviews and two focus groups with non-users. Research questions include what everyday mobility needs the informants have, and if they can be meet by the local bike-sharing scheme, as well as how the bike-sharing scheme meets the diversity in restrictions, needs, and preferences of transport. The paper finds that non-use of bike-sharing schemes in Scandinavia can be explained through three overall narratives: ‘I have my own bicycle’, ‘I travel with kids’, and ‘I don’t feel safe.’ It argues that obstacles of using bike-sharing schemes in part can be explained the ‘one fits all’ approach that dominates bike-sharing design today. By adding a perspective on diversity, the paper contributes to filling the research gap in new mobility solutions and diversity.

KW - Bike-sharing schemes

KW - Biking

KW - Diversity

KW - Gender

KW - Smart transport

U2 - 10.1007/978-3-030-78358-7_37

DO - 10.1007/978-3-030-78358-7_37

M3 - Article in proceedings

AN - SCOPUS:85112152003

SN - 9783030783570

T3 - Lecture Notes in Computer Science

SP - 529

EP - 548

BT - HCI in Mobility, Transport, and Automotive Systems - 3rd International Conference, MobiTAS 2021, Held as Part of the 23rd HCI International Conference, HCII 2021, Proceedings

A2 - Krömker, Heidi

PB - Springer

T2 - 3rd International Conference on HCI in Mobility, Transport, and Automotive Systems, MobiTAS 2021, held as part of the 23rd International Conference, HCI International 2020

Y2 - 24 July 2021 through 29 July 2021

ER -