## 1 Introduction  
The current urban transport policies focus mostly on the external costs of transport, such as the ones related to air pollution, noise, road congestion, and road accidents. These costs are, to a large extent, a consequence of the dominant share of individual transport, mostly car transport, in the city residents' municipal travels. The political decisions that are made indicate the intention to reduce the share of passenger cars in daily travels. However, it requires providing city residents with an attractive alternative. Fulfilling the city residents' transport needs with the use of bicycles matches the concept of sustainable urban development, since travel by bicycle, apart from walking trips, constitutes the most environmentally friendly mode of transportation of the city residents. To increase the share of bike travels in the modal split of particular cities worldwide, bike-sharing systems have been introduced. In the Gdansk-Gdynia-Sopot metropolitan area, the bike-sharing system (called MEVO) was introduced in 2019. In 2019, there were 96 shared bike systems in operation in Poland. Access to bike-sharing services operating in 108 cities had 2.6 million registered users [1]. MEVO was the first bike-sharing system in Poland using only electrical bicycles (with electric power-assisted steering). The main reason for the use of electric bicycles in the MEVO system rather than traditional bicycles was the large differences in the ground levels in the Gdansk-Gdynia-Sopot metropolitan area. Electric bicycles were therefore intended to enable almost everyone to use the bike-sharing system. The introduction of the MEVO system into operation was accompanied by the hope of reduced car trips and an increased share of public transport [2]. The increase in the share of public transport was to result from the use of city bikes by residents for the first and last mile of their journeys. Furthermore, the reference literature indicates numerous advantages to fulfilling transport needs with the use of bikes, and consequently, bike-sharing systems, the advantages of which include the following [3; 4; 5; 6; 7; 8; 9; 10; 11]:  
* Reduced consumption of fuel necessary for meeting the city residents' transport needs;
* Reduced congestion;
* Reduced level of noise and pollution emitted by fuel-powered vehicles;
* Complementing the offer of an urban transport system;
* Supporting park-and-ride systems;
* Offering the \"last mile\" solution while traveling to places where transportation is limited or prohibited;
* Improved transport availability;
* Increased tourist attractiveness of the city;
* Improved physical and psychological health of the city residents;
* Increased possibilities to meet the city residents' transport needs;
* Increased social acceptance for the introduction of rigorous transport policy toward passenger cars (e.g., reduced number of parking places). To make it possible for bike-sharing systems to have a positive effect to the largest extent possible through their advantages on the city residents' quality of life, it is preferable for the users of bike-sharing systems to abandon using passenger cars for urban travels. Therefore, it is preferable for municipal bikes to become the substitute for passenger cars to the largest extent possible (particularly owned cars). To make this possible, it is necessary to facilitate not only the bike renting process itself but also traveling by bike. One of the feasible solutions involves using electric bicycles in the bike-sharing systems. Thanks to such a solution, bike travel requires less physical effort, and consequently, it is possible for a larger group of potential users. Definitely less favorable is a situation where the municipal bike users abandon walking trips or traveling by public transport in favor of municipal bikes. The main objective of this study is to verify whether municipal electric bike systems constitute a substitutable form of transportation against passenger cars.