Impact of COVID-19 on Usage Patterns of a Bike-Sharing System: Case Study of Seoul

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a rapid and significant effect on human mobility because of the travel restriction to slow the spread of the infectious disease. However, the impact caused by COVID-19 is not the same for all modes of transportation. In previous studies, public transport has shown the greatest decline compared with other modes, and bike-sharing systems have been less affected by COVID-19 than public transport. This study aims to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on bike-sharing systems in detail over a longer period than previous studies to determine the changes in the ridership and usage patterns of bike-sharing systems depending on the circumstances related to COVID-19. This study found that bike rentals for leisure purposes rather than for means of transportation have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, which tends to be more distinct during outbreaks. Moreover, it was also shown that the status of COVID-19 and the strong social distancing affected bike rentals, and the effects of some factors related to bike-sharing ridership on bike rentals have significantly changed because of the change in the mobility patterns.