An informal transportation as a feeder of the rapid transit system. Spatial analysis of the e-bike taxi service in Shenzhen, China

• Main Authors: Gianni Talamini, Diogo Pires Ferreira
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2019-06-01
• Series: Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives
• Subjects: Electric bicycle; E-bike taxi; Informal transport; Paratransit; Shenzhen; Village in the city
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590198219300028

Despite recent Chinese legislative restrictions on the use of electric two-wheelers (e-bikes), this transportation method is still very popular in Chinese cities. In China, e-bikes currently provide an informal transportation service (e-bike taxi). Very little research has been conducted to study how this informal transportation service is organized. This study aims to fill this gap by offering an understanding of the spatial distribution of informal transportation providers in relation to rapid transit systems and urban villages. Using remote-sensing and geographical information systems (GIS), this study demonstrates that in Shenzhen, this common Chinese e-bike taxicab service survives in a tight relationship with the existence of rural areas within the city's urban fabric. Auxiliary field observations and in-depth interviews provide this study with information regarding service features and spatial distributions at the district scale. This paper shows how this informal transportation service is enlarging the catchment area of the rapid transit system and thus reducing the social exclusion of rural enclaves in the city. The findings that are reported in this study may be useful for planners and policymakers from the perspective of regulating this informal transportation service for its integration with the existing transportation infrastructure.