Replacing Car Trips with a Cargo Bike Sharing Service: What Features Do Users Value Most?

While cargo bikes are becoming an increasingly popular alternative to larger, more polluting vehicles in both the logistics and private mobility sectors, there has been comparatively little research on their use for private mobility. The potential of shared cargo bikes to replace car trips has been...

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Main Authors: Delphine Pernot, Howard Twaddell Weir
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-01-01
Series:Future Transportation
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7590/5/1/7
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author Delphine Pernot
Howard Twaddell Weir
author_facet Delphine Pernot
Howard Twaddell Weir
author_sort Delphine Pernot
collection DOAJ
description While cargo bikes are becoming an increasingly popular alternative to larger, more polluting vehicles in both the logistics and private mobility sectors, there has been comparatively little research on their use for private mobility. The potential of shared cargo bikes to replace car trips has been examined in some studies, but no previous research has investigated the critical factors that make it a valued alternative. By studying users’ willingness to pay, this paper examines the perceived value of a free cargo bike sharing service for users. The research is based on a survey of 321 users of the Fietje cargo bike sharing service in Bremen, conducted in 2022. In this sample, 38 to 55% of shared cargo bikes trips would otherwise have been performed by car. The paper identifies the transport of objects and children as critical features that provide value to users and create the potential to replace car trips. The results also draw attention to the fact that a cargo bike sharing service is likely to be a more effective tool for reducing car use if it is free. Introducing a fee would increase car trips by 14 to 18% of the total trips enabled by the service.
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spelling doaj-art-622cad17ea4e4dbf855489373f2716e62025-08-20T03:43:34ZengMDPI AGFuture Transportation2673-75902025-01-0151710.3390/futuretransp5010007Replacing Car Trips with a Cargo Bike Sharing Service: What Features Do Users Value Most?Delphine Pernot0Howard Twaddell Weir1Institute of Transport Economics, 0349 Oslo, NorwayInstitute of Transport Economics, 0349 Oslo, NorwayWhile cargo bikes are becoming an increasingly popular alternative to larger, more polluting vehicles in both the logistics and private mobility sectors, there has been comparatively little research on their use for private mobility. The potential of shared cargo bikes to replace car trips has been examined in some studies, but no previous research has investigated the critical factors that make it a valued alternative. By studying users’ willingness to pay, this paper examines the perceived value of a free cargo bike sharing service for users. The research is based on a survey of 321 users of the Fietje cargo bike sharing service in Bremen, conducted in 2022. In this sample, 38 to 55% of shared cargo bikes trips would otherwise have been performed by car. The paper identifies the transport of objects and children as critical features that provide value to users and create the potential to replace car trips. The results also draw attention to the fact that a cargo bike sharing service is likely to be a more effective tool for reducing car use if it is free. Introducing a fee would increase car trips by 14 to 18% of the total trips enabled by the service.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7590/5/1/7cargo bikesshared mobilitywillingness to payusers’ preferencesalternative to car
spellingShingle Delphine Pernot
Howard Twaddell Weir
Replacing Car Trips with a Cargo Bike Sharing Service: What Features Do Users Value Most?
Future Transportation
cargo bikes
shared mobility
willingness to pay
users’ preferences
alternative to car
title Replacing Car Trips with a Cargo Bike Sharing Service: What Features Do Users Value Most?
title_full Replacing Car Trips with a Cargo Bike Sharing Service: What Features Do Users Value Most?
title_fullStr Replacing Car Trips with a Cargo Bike Sharing Service: What Features Do Users Value Most?
title_full_unstemmed Replacing Car Trips with a Cargo Bike Sharing Service: What Features Do Users Value Most?
title_short Replacing Car Trips with a Cargo Bike Sharing Service: What Features Do Users Value Most?
title_sort replacing car trips with a cargo bike sharing service what features do users value most
topic cargo bikes
shared mobility
willingness to pay
users’ preferences
alternative to car
url https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7590/5/1/7
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