Bike-sharing rebalancing problem by considering availability and accessibility

This paper presents an extended study of the bike-sharing rebalancing problem by considering the impact of availability (the likelihood of successfully finding a bike) and accessibility (the walking distance required to reach a bike) on user demand. The problem is formulated into a Mixed Integer Linear Program (MILP) model with the objective of maximising the net profit for the time horizon. Numerical studies were conducted to demonstrate the impact of availability and accessibility on the net profit of the bike-sharing company and the carbon dioxide emissions of the transit vehicles and buses. The results show that by considering the effects of availability and accessibility, the operator can both make more net profit and reduce potential carbon dioxide emissions. Besides, the potential demand coverage also increases. Furthermore, the results show that increasing vehicle capacity can increase net profit and reduce total potential carbon dioxide emissions to a certain extent.