Quality of service analysis of bicycle share systems: a look at users perception

Abstract

Quality of Service is an important indicator to obtain the users perceptions in identifying the problems faced using a service, with several successful applications in the transport sector. However, this theme is still under explored in the literature when it comes to Bike Sharing Systems (BSS). With this, this paper aims to apply the six-step methodology of Stradling et al. (2007) to evaluate the Quality of Service of a BSS and identify the elements that negatively interfere with the user experience. An BSS located on a university campus of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, exclusively for the use of servers and students, was analyzed. The adoption of this technique proved to be useful to evaluate these systems, giving ways to development improvements oriented to the satisfaction of users. The results showed that the critical variables are related to elements related to the physical infrastructure of the system, the urban environment, and the interface of the system with users. Thus, this research aims to contribute to the popularization of this mode of transport, including the perception of users in the evaluation and management of these systems.