What determines the use of private and shared bicycles? Evidence from the University of Lyon (France)

Many cities have introduced policies to promote cycling through personal and shared bicycles. However, there are limited studies simultaneously exploring the determinants affecting the types of cycling and their interactions within the urban mobility system. This article aims to analyze factors influencing the use of private and shared bicycles using data from a student survey conducted at 17 academic institutions in Lyon, using a copula-based binary choice model. Our results show that spatial factors, such as residential location, shared bike accessibility, and home-campus distance, strongly influence the active mode choice. They also provide novel evidence on the complementarity and substituability between cycling and other modes. For example, we find that while having a public transport season ticket significantly reduces the likelihood of commuting by bicycle, this substituability is more pronounced between public transport and shared bike use than between public transport and use of private bikes. However, for multomodal home-study trips, shared bikes are stronger complements to alternative modes (inclunding public transport) than private bikes. From a policy perspective, these results confirm the need for specific heterogeneous policies aimed at promoting cycling and sustainable mobility. • Bicycle ownership increases the likelihood of cycling more than bike sharing membership (34 % vs 5.5 %). • Non-linear effects of commute distance on the type of bicycle chosen (shared or private). • Living near a BSS station not a decisive factor in the choice between the types of bicycle. • Bike sharing is a stronger complement to the other commuting modes than private bicycles. • Public transport substitutes both private and shared biking for season ticket holders.