Understanding the use of private and shared bicycles in large emerging cities: The case of Sao Paulo, Brazil

This study presents a survey and a series of analyses performed to better understand the use of private and shared bicycles in a city where bicycle infrastructure and bicycle-sharing systems are recent and still limited. Using descriptive analysis, a multivariate ordinal model and a binary choice model, we (1) explore the profile of bicyclists before and after the expansion of dedicated infrastructure and we identify behavioral differences between newcomers and experienced bicyclists; (2) analyze factors associated with frequencies of work and non-work bicycle trips, and (3) examine the role of bicycle sharing systems in promoting bicycle usage and as a multi-modality enhancer. The results show that the expansion of bicycle infrastructure seems to stimulate underrepresented segments of the population, such as women and low-income individuals, to start cycling. Travel time reveals to be an important predictor of cycling frequency for both work and non-work purposes, suggesting that cycling can be a competitive alternative to cars and transit in large, dense and congested cities. We also observe that shared bicycle systems play a fundamental role in multi-modal travel and in introducing new users to the bicycle mode.