Pedal power vs. battery boost: An in-depth analysis of the dichotomy and symbiosis between traditional and electric bike-sharing

People are increasingly utilizing electric bike-sharing (EBS) for travel as a new mode of shared mobility comparable to traditional bike-sharing (TBS). However, few studies have focused on what is the attraction of the integrated bike-sharing system, encompassing both EBS and TBS, and how they develop in tandem. A web-based stated preference survey is designed to explore people’s preferences for different bike-sharing modes in China. The final dataset comprised 2718 choice observations from 302 respondents across 25 cities. The collected data is employed to create a panel random parameters random utility multinomial logit model (panel RPRUM) and a panel random parameters random regret logit model (panel RPRRM), thereby accounting for repeated choices and unobserved preference heterogeneity. The panel RPRRM provided the best model fit. The study quantitatively evaluates the effects of system, trip, socio-demographic, and psychosocial attributes on EBS and TBS choices. The results show both similarities and differences in users’ choice tendencies. Access time and egress time are the most influential factors for both modes, although their relative effects differ: access time is more important for EBS, whereas egress time has a stronger influence on TBS. EBS is more suitable for longer-distance trips, while TBS remains attractive for shorter, frequent, and cost-sensitive travel, particularly during peak periods. In addition, trade-offs among trip cost, distance, access time, and egress time significantly shape users’ choices, indicating a complementary relationship between EBS and TBS. These findings support differentiated system configuration and suggest that distance-sensitive dynamic pricing may further improve the attractiveness of integrated bike-sharing systems.