Electric scooter sharing and bike sharing user behaviour and characteristics

Abstract

New, shared mobility modes, including dockless e-scooters and e-bikes, were recently introduced to many cities around the world. The aim of this article is to determine the differences between the users of e-bike sharing, and e-scooter sharing systems, and the characteristics of their travel behaviour. This study is based on the survey of the citizens of Tricity in northern Poland. We find that e-bicycles are predominantly used as first and last mile transport and to commute directly to various places of interest, whereas e-scooters are more often used for leisure rides. Survey respondents that adopted shared micromobility are generally young, and e-scooter users are on average younger than e-bike users. Although all shared vehicles in Tricity are electrically assisted, this did not allow for the elimination of the gender gap, or help retired and disabled people in the adoption of shared micromobility services. We have also identified factors discouraging people from the usage of e-bike and e-scooter sharing and found them to be different for both types of services. Finally, we investigated the issue of using shared e-bikes for urban logistics.