Analyzing the Influence of Quantity Discounts and Environmental Incentive Mechanisms on Bike-Sharing System Relocation and Replenishment

Developing energy conservation and carbon reduction solutions for transportation systems in many countries has become a pivotal sustainability policy strategy. This study considered a carbon reduction solution using a government-owned share-bike system with a fixed location to rent and return bikes in Taiwan. While fixed renting and returning locations enhance the clarity of shared bike locations, they raise issues, such as the unavailability of bikes for rent and the lack of parking spaces. These may lead to frustrated users and a waste of resources. Furthermore, manual replenishment via trucking increases carbon emissions and causes noise. This study introduced an incentive mechanism to encourage users to return or rent bikes from specific stations by offering discounts. This method is integrated with conventional transportation to improve overall efficiency and reduce operational costs and manpower while reducing carbon emissions.