Journal of Transportation Research

Journal of Transportation Research

A Spatial Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Model for Site Selection and Prioritization of Suitable Areas for Dockless Bike-Sharing System Deployment: A Case Study of Mashhad

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Ali Tavakoli kashani 1
Mir Mohammadreza Hosseini Ghazivaloei 2
Mohammadreza Bagheri Delouee 3
1 Associate Professor, School of Civil Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran.
2 M.Sc., Student, School of Civil Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran.
3 Ph.D., School of Civil Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran.
10.22034/tri.2026.583308.3459
Abstract
With increasing urban density and the intensification of challenges related to traffic congestion, pollution, and energy consumption, the development of active and environmentally friendly transportation systems has become one of the necessities of urban planning. In this regard, dockless bike-sharing systems, due to their high flexibility and ability to serve short intra-urban trips, have received attention as one of the innovative solutions in micromobility. However, the absence of physical docking stations in these systems creates an important challenge in identifying suitable areas for fleet deployment, improving operational efficiency, and reducing urban conflicts. The aim of this study is to locate and prioritize suitable areas for launching a dockless bike-sharing system across the 17 municipal districts of Mashhad. For this purpose, Geographic Information Systems and spatial multi-criteria decision-making methods were integrated. The evaluation framework of the study includes three main criteria: potential demand, infrastructure quality, and functional safety level, which were assessed through 13 operational sub-criteria. The criteria were weighted using the Analytic Hierarchy Process based on expert judgments, and the final score of each district was calculated through the Weighted Linear Combination method. The results showed that, in the proposed site-selection model, functional safety level, with a weight of 0.494, is the most important factor affecting the identification of suitable areas. It is followed by infrastructure quality, with a weight of 0.313, and potential demand, with a weight of 0.192. Based on the output of the integrated model, Districts 5, 15, 11, and 1 were identified as the most suitable and promising areas for implementing the first phase of the dockless bike-sharing system in Mashhad.
Keywords
Active mobility
Dockless bike-sharing
Urban site selection
Spatial multi-criteria decision-making
Analytic Hierarchy Process
Subjects
C. C. Reynolds, M. A. Harris, K. Teschke, P. A. Cripton, and M. Winters  (2009). The impact of transportation infrastructure on bicycling injuries and crashes: a review of the literature. Environ Health, Vol. 8, No. 1, 47, Dec.
doi: 10.1186/1476-069X-8-47
-C. Médard De Chardon (2019). The contradictions of bike-share benefits, purposes and outcomes. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Vol. 121, 401–419.
doi: 10.1016/j.tra.2019.01.031
-J. Malczewski, (1999). GIS and Multicriteria Decision Analysis. Wiley.
-J. Pucher, J. Dill, and S. Handy (2010). Infrastructure, programs, and policies to increase bicycling: An international review. Preventive Medicine, Vol. 50, S106–S125.
doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2009.07.028
-K. Teschke et al.,  (2012). Route Infrastructure and the Risk of Injuries to Bicyclists: A Case-Crossover Study. Am J Public Health, Vol. 102, No. 12, 2336–2343.
doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2012.300762
-L. Liu and H. J. Miller (2022). Measuring the impacts of dockless micro-mobility services on public transit accessibility. Computers, Environment and Urban Systems, Vol. 98, 101885.
doi:org/10.1016/j.compenvurbsys.2022.101885
 -M. Mangold, P. Zhao, H. Haitao, and A. Mansourian (2022). Geo-fence planning for dockless bike-sharing systems: a GIS-based multi-criteria decision analysis framework. Urban Informatics, Vol. 1.
doi: 10.1007/s44212-022-00013-1
-M. S. Bahadori, A. B. Gonçalves, and F. Moura (2022). A GIS-MCDM Method for Ranking Potential Station Locations in the Expansion of Bike-Sharing Systems. Axioms, Vol. 11, No. 6, 263-264.
doi: 10.3390/axioms11060263
-Y. Guo, L. Yang, and Y. Chen (2022). Bike Share Usage and the Built Environment: A Review. Frontiers in Public Health, vol. 10-2022.  doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.848169
-Y. Xu et al.,  (2019). Unravel the landscape and pulses of cycling activities from a dockless bike-sharing system,” Computers, Environment and Urban Systems, Vol. 75, 184–203.
doi: 10.1016/j.compenvurbsys.2019.02.002
-Y. Yang, X. Wu, P. Zhou, Z. Gou, and Y. Lu,  (2019). Towards a cycling-friendly city: An updated review of the associations between built environment and cycling behaviors
(2007–2017). Journal of Transport & Health, Vol. 14, 100613-100614.
doi: 10.1016/j.jth.2019.100613
Journal of Transportation Research
Volume 23, Issue 4
Autumn 2026
Pages 119-130