Optimization of Station Location Selection in a Bike-Sharing System

Abstract

A bike-sharing system, as a form of shared mobility, offers the possibility of renting publicly available bicycles. Shifting users from private vehicles to shared mobility, in this case a bicycle, has the potential to reduce traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions in cities. The efficiency of station-based bike-sharing systems heavily depends on the spatial arrangement of stations. From the user's perspective, it is desirable to have as many stations as possible, while the system operator aims to minimize the number of stations to reduce costs. The goal of this paper was to present a procedure for solving the station location problem in bike-sharing systems. The quality of the obtained solutions was evaluated using the average distance traveled by users and the percentage of users served. The problem was solved using single-objective optimization methods, as well as a multi-objective optimization method, which yielded a set of Pareto optimal solutions. From the perspective of decision-makers, this approach offers significant advantages in terms of decision-making flexibility. The procedure was tested on the Belgrade transportation network.