Bike Share for All
The research and writing of this blog post was done by our intern, Tomio Hayase-Izu.For many people, bike share offers a modern, fun, and sustainable solution to the "first and last mile" connectivity from transit that plagues our public transit systems. From Los Angeles to Minneapolis and New York, cities have been quickly adopting bike share programs, with several million riders and growing. Despite bike share's rapid rise, it hasn't done a very good job reaching low-income residents, who are more likely to bike and walk to work than those with higher incomes, or people of color. Studies conducted in cities across the nation have shown that bike share riders are overwhelmingly wealthy, white and male. A 2015 study by Dr. Susan Shaheen found that the Bay Area is no exception. Of Bay Area Bike Share riders:
- 75% are white
- 64% have household incomes of $100,000 or higher
- 28% have household incomes of $200,000 or higher
- 65% of riders are male
- 80% have a bachelor's degree or higher
The Bay Area has one of the most diverse populations in the country, which should be reflected in our public transit. Despite making up nearly two-thirds of San Jose's population, Latinos and Asians ride bike share at a significantly lower rate than their white counterparts, representing less than 20% of all Bay Area Bike Share users. Similarly, low-income households making less than $10,000 annually are three to four times as likely to walk and bike to work than those making over $50,000, yet make up barely a fraction of bike share riders.
So what can we do to make bike share more equitable here in the Bay Area? Unfortunately, there is no easy answer to this question, but we can start by identifying and addressing infrastructural and systemic barriers that face low-income and underrepresented communities.Improve marketing and signageAlthough steps are being taken to ensure that Bay Area Bike Share stations are placed in or around communities of concern, studies have shown that proximity alone is not enough to get more people to bike. A study in Philadelphia about Indego Bike Share found that while most respondents had in fact heard about Indego, only a third claimed to know how to sign up for the program. Furthermore, nearly half of those who claimed knowledge of the sign up process actually had incorrect information about who could register, where and how. The most commonly cited reason for not using Indego Bike Share was a lack of information about how to sign up and use the bikes.Unlike most bike shares across the country, San Mateo's Bay Bikes utilizes a "Smart Bike" system, in which all of the technology and equipment required to locate, rent, lock and unlock each bike is located on the bike itself (rather than on the bike rack), allowing the rider significantly more freedom. While this modern and creative approach has a lot of potential and has led to high membership rates for the system so far, the importance of traditional stations and kiosks or other signage as visible "points of entry" for curious riders cannot be overstated. Nearly two-thirds of Indego Bike Share users in Philadelphia and one-third of Capital Bike Share users in Washington D.C. first learned about the program from seeing stations and bikes located around the city. Clearly, finding cost-effective and creative methods of conveying essential information about bike share registration and payment process is paramount.Community and youth outreachFocus should be placed on building strong relationships with community and neighborhood-based organizations to reach new residents and potential riders. Advocacy groups such as the Better Bike Share Partnership of Philadelphia has found success in engaging schools in low-income areas to encourage biking and using bike share by providing bicycle safety training, equipment, and group rides. Indego's Youth Ambassador program trains interested and at-risk youth to act as ambassadors and teachers in their own neighborhoods and at Indego outreach events.Integrate bike share with public transitDespite our best efforts, bike share still carries the stigma of being a novelty for tourists. In San Francisco, "casual riders" (those who purchase a one to three day membership) outnumber monthly and annual riders 20:1. Of these casual riders however, 84% are tourists and visitors from outside the Bay Area.In order to "legitimize" bike share as a serious mode of transit, we must fully integrate it into our existing transit systems. The Los Angeles Metro Bike Share system, which was unveiled in July 2016, shares branding with the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority, and allows riders to use their TAP cards (similar to Clipper) to unlock and ride bikes. A similar system could potentially work here in the Bay Area. Allowing riders to use their Clipper cards to use Bay Area Bike Share would make it much more convenient and make seamless travel between bike share, BART, Caltrain, VTA, and SamTrans a reality.Next StepsSilicon Valley Bicycle Coalition is working locally and with our allies in San Francisco and the East Bay to ensure that bike share systems are accessible and attractive to all people regardless of income, race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, or language. The first step is offering a low-income membership option, something the current bike share systems are committed to rolling out soon. We are cohosting an informational forum next week with the Mountain View Transportation Management Association targeted at city staff, elected leaders, and business reps to educate stakeholders about the potential bike options as well as encourage them to consider all potential users when implementing their systems. We will continue to collaborate with the companies and cities to create targeted outreach and education to reach underserved populations and make sure bike share is an option for them. Using the research and best practices above, we hope to make certain that future bike share is available and used by a population who represents the diversity of our region.
