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Abstract for presentation (Poster or Podium) with a Paper in the Conference Proceedings

Social Equity, Justice, and Welfare

Pedaling Towards Equity: Investigating Gender Disparities in Chicago’s Bikeshare Ridership

Sunday, June 16, 2024
3:00 PM - 4:15 PM ET
Room: Galleria
Abstract:

As a sustainable method of transportation, bikesharing has grown significantly, which has resulted in a rapid increase in ridership and changes in user behavior. Despite its expansion, bikeshare ridership shows gender differences, with men being the majority of users. The purpose of this study is to investigate the differences in travel patterns and gender among Chicago’s bikeshare users. The association between gender and trip attributes was investigated using a dataset of over 21 million Divvy bikeshare trips in Chicago between 2013 and 2019. A Binary Regression Model was used to reach the goal of the study.  According to the results, women often take longer bikeshare journeys than men. The analysis of bikeshare usage by day of the week revealed similarities between men and women, with Tuesdays having the highest ridership and weekdays being the most frequent for trips. On the other hand, compared to men, women had a larger tendency to use bikeshare on weekends. For both genders, peak ridership occurred between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. These results suggest that women are more likely to use bikeshare systems for recreational purposes or weekend activities. A more accessible and equitable bikeshare system might also be developed by offering incentives for weekday passes and ensuring enough bikes and docking stations are available during rush hours. The findings given in this study provide a foundation for making informed decisions, and ongoing initiatives to address gender gaps may result in a more inclusive and equitable bikeshare system in Chicago.

Learning Objectives:

Attendees can expect to learn the following from this session:
  • Analyze gender-based differences in Chicago's bikeshare user travel patterns, emphasizing trip duration and peak usage hours.
  • Identify day-of-the-week preferences among male and female bikeshare riders in Chicago and assess weekday vs. weekend ridership variations.
  • Propose recommendations for a more accessible and equitable bikeshare system in Chicago, including weekday pass incentives and optimized bike availability during peak hours, based on study findings.