How do directed and undirected travel differ? Evidence from year-long bikeshare trips

Among various spatial patterns of bikeshare trips, an interesting pattern is that some bikers come back to the origin in a single trip. This study analyzed two types of travel: directed travel (returning their bikes away from the origin) and undirected travel (returning their bikes at the same or a nearby station). The study examined the characteristics of those bikeshare trips and connected findings with discussions of "traveling for its own sake" in the travel behavior research. Using year-long (2023) trip data in Seoul, we modeled the proportion of undirected travel at each station (i.e. where people often take undirected trips) and travel times at the individual-trip level. We found that 11% of the bikeshare trips were identified as undirected travel. The results show that weather, temporal factors, land use, and trip characteristics have meaningful effects on bikeshare usage and such effects vary by the travel type. The proportion of undirected travel tends to increase during lunchtime or on weekends and when the bike station is located by the river. In terms of individual travel times, the time of day and the type of bike lanes had heterogeneous effects. People tend to take bikes for longer where bike lanes are protected against other traffic. Additionally, the presence of companions tends to increase travel times. Undirected travel is harder to be predicted than directed travel due to its inherent characteristics. In summary, the bikeshare system is used not only for moving to another place, but also for traveling for its own sake.