Bike-sharing has globally emerged as an alternative travel mode for trips that are longer to walk but shorter to drive. Previous studies have used either the actual ridership data or survey responses from users to understand the public perception about bike-sharing systems. Where the actual ridership data is hard to obtain, survey-based studies limit respondents’ ability to express their views by relying on structured questionnaires (e.g., Likert scale). To this end, we contribute with the first application of a text network approach by analyzing the open-ended text responses from over 700 Seattle residents regarding their perceptions about the characteristics of docked and dockless bike-sharing systems. The text network approach enables the analysis of the open-ended text responses by creating a network based on the frequency and co-occurrence of keywords in a sentence. Our empirical analysis shows that Seattle residents appreciate dockless bike-sharing systems for their flexibility. However, they are unhappy about the blocked sidewalks due to parked bikes and less usage of helmets. Additionally, the text network’s sparsity indicates that respondents have a variety of negative perceptions regarding docked bike-sharing systems, and therefore, improving these systems is challenging. The method also allows us to explore the heterogeneity in user groups’ perceptions based on their bike-sharing experiences. Considering the consistency of our findings with those obtained using econometric approaches, we suggest that a hybrid approach can leverage the advantages of both econometric and text-based analysis. The approach would lead into reliable policy recommendations in the context of new services and technologies.

对于步行时间较长但开车时间较短的旅行，全球共享单车已成为一种替代的出行方式。先前的研究使用实际的出行数据或用户的调查反馈来了解公众对自行车共享系统的看法。在难以获得实际出行率数据的地方，基于调查的研究会限制受访者依靠结构化问卷（例如李克特量表）表达意见的能力。为此，我们通过分析开放式平台，为文本网络方法的第一个应用做出了贡献来自700多名西雅图居民的短信，内容涉及他们对停靠和不停靠自行车共享系统特性的看法。文本网络方法通过基于句子中关键字的出现频率和共现关系创建一个网络，从而可以分析开放式文本响应。我们的经验分析表明，西雅图居民喜欢无底座自行车共享系统，因为它们具有灵活性。但是，他们对由于停放的自行车和较少使用头盔而对人行道阻塞感到不满。另外，文本网络的稀疏性表明受访者对停放的自行车共享系统有各种各样的负面看法，因此，改进这些系统具有挑战性。该方法还使我们能够基于用户共享单车的经验来探索用户群体观念的异质性。考虑到我们的调查结果与采用计量经济学方法得出的结论的一致性，我们建议采用混合方法可以利用计量经济学和基于文本的分析的优势。该方法将在新服务和新技术的背景下产生可靠的政策建议。