Modeling the Distribution Characteristics of Urban Public Bicycle Rental Duration

• Main Authors: Shuichao Zhang, Kangkang He, Sheng Dong, Jibiao Zhou
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hindawi Limited 2016-01-01
• Series: Discrete Dynamics in Nature and Society
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/8947525

In order to model the distribution characteristics of public bicycle rental durations, individual journey data for three cities in China (Ningbo, Hangzhou, and Beijing), for weekdays, was obtained. The distribution curves for public bicycle rental duration in the three cities were found to be extremely similar, with small differences among the weekdays. The basic parameters such as the average rental duration, the rental duration corresponding to the maximum rental frequency, and the rental duration corresponding to 75% degree were then calculated. On this basis, the radioactive decay law from physics was used to establish a theoretical model for the relationship between rental frequency and rental duration. The data on public bicycle rental duration in Ningbo, Hangzhou, and Beijing were used to test the model and produce a corrected theoretical model. The results indicate that the relationship between rental frequency and rental duration obeys the decay law. The study results provide important theoretical support for the rental station planning of bicycle sharing systems, as well as the allocation, operation, and dispatch of public bicycles.