Our Community Bikes was asked by Zag Daily, a leading transport publication, to discuss how community bike shops can help support cycle share in reaching marginalized groups and boost diversity and inclusion in the sector itself.
Analyses of schemes over the last decade exhibit that users are disproportionately young, male, white, highly educated, and from higher income groups. Women in North America and Europe make up only a quarter of users, while individuals from low-income backgrounds and people of color are also far less likely to use bike share services.
Instead, it has been community bike shops which have been transforming access to cycling for low-income communities, people of color and less represented gender identities.
At first glance, community bike shops and bike share appear to be adversaries; the first helping folks own and maintain their own bicycles, the latter providing cooperative wheels. However, they are in fact on the same side of the battle to bring cycling to the masses.
As a result, working with community bike shops is a unique entry point for the cycle share sector to engage more comprehensively with diversity and inclusion in a targeted and durable way.
You can read the full article online HERE