Scooter-sharing system
A scooter-sharing system is a shared transport service in which electric motorized scooters (also referred to as e-scooters) are made available to use for short-term rentals. E-scooters are typically "dockless", meaning that they do not have a fixed home location and are dropped off and picked up from certain locations in the service area.
Scooter-sharing systems work towards providing the public with a fast and convenient mode of transport for last-mile mobility in urban areas.
Scooter-sharing industry
Rise of e-scooter industry
In 2012, Scoot Networks released a moped-style vehicle that provided a short-range rental of scooters.
Technology
To rent a dockless e-scooter, users download a smartphone application. The application shows users a map of nearby e-scooters and enables them to unlock them. The application also includes a secure payment gateway such as PayPal. Scooters are equipped with built-in GPS chips and cellular connectivity which allows them to broadcast their location in real-time during a trip.
E-scooters have built-in features to prevent theft, and hacking. Hackers steal e-scooters and replace the existing hardware to convert the scooter for personal use.
International expansion
The market for the Asian scooter-sharing industry is currently less than 4 percent of the North American market size.
Estonian mobility technology company Bolt launched scooter-sharing services on its mobile app platform in 2019.
Lime launched the first large-scale European expansion of scooter-sharing systems in Paris during June 2018.
Since 2017 Amsterdam-based Felyx is active in the Netherlands and since 2019 in Brussels. From 2017 to 2018 the number of shared e-scooters in Europe increased by nearly 200 percent.
Since 2019, Turkey-based micro mobility platform, Scootable, provide services in 3 country and with more than 1500 scooters.
Since 2018, kicksharing has appeared in Moscow, Russia.
Until 2019, Brazilian startup, Yellow was the largest e-scooter service in South America.
Effects
Right-of-way obstruction and visual pollution
Visual pollution is a major concern caused by scooter-sharing in cities due to users illegally parking e-scooters on sidewalks, entryways, roads, and access points.
Injuries, fatalities and safety
There is limited information on the overall scale of injuries caused by electric scooters.
Common times of accidents occur during work and rush hours. 33 percent of all injuries occur on sidewalks and 55 percent occur on streets.
Only 4 percent of injured riders are reported to have worn helmets, even though helmets significantly reduce head injuries.
Last-mile problem and micromobility
The last-mile problem is a public transportation dilemma regarding the difficulty of moving passengers from private residences to mass-transit centers i.e. bus stops, train stations, etc.
Traffic
Traffic congestion is amplified by the increased usage of personal-automobile transportation as a means of overcoming the last-mile problem.
Sustainability
E-scooters are powered by electricity and therefore have zero direct carbon emissions. The reduced carbon impact between personal automobiles and e-scooters has been a central tenet in the value propositions of market-leaders Bird and Lime, though these propositions have been called into question, with research finding most of the time scooter riders would have otherwise walked, biked, or taken public transportation.
A life cycle assessment of e-scooter sharing systems performed by researchers at North Carolina State University calls claims of sustainability benefits of the programs into question, finding that nearly two thirds of the time people use shared e-scooters, they are creating more CO2 emission than they would have if scooter share was not an option.
Privacy concerns
Scooter-sharing companies collect anonymous GPS and cellular-based data on customer rides; this data helps companies and cities plan for the building of new bike lanes and enforce program rules such as parking and allowed service area.
In November 2019, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT), in California, United States, temporarily suspended Uber subsidiary Jump's permit to rent e-scooters and bikes following Uber's failure to transmit real-time data detailing the start point, endpoint, and travel time on all rides as a part of the city's one-year pilot permit program.
LADOT does not collect specific data about users beyond trip details, but precise mobility data may contain personally identifiable information.
Response and regulations
Several United States cities have introduced regulations on e-scooters and scooter-sharing companies to address safety concerns and the illegal dumping of e-scooters. In May 2018, shortly after the initial launch of e-scooters in San Francisco, the city issued a cease and desist order to Bird, Spin, and Lime after receiving about 1,900 complaints from residents regarding sidewalk congestion due to the illegal parking of e-scooters.
In August 2019, the Nashville Metro Council in Tennessee, United States, voted against a ban on e-scooters in the city.
Washington D.C.’s district council has proposed legislation to establish rules to define where e-scooters can be parked, enforce speed limits, and restrict hours of operation.
In September 2019, France banned the riding of e-scooters on sidewalks following an increase in accidents and sidewalk congestion; users who violate the ban will be fined 135 euros.
In response to backlash from city regulators and lawmakers, scooter-sharing companies have launched initiatives that include charity, outreach to low-income communities, and infrastructure improvements.
Citizens of Paris have raised concerns against scooter driving. These concerns include riders not wearing helmets, driving up to 27km/h, and even 12-year-olds renting these devices.
In 2023, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo called for a referendum on rental e-scooters. This referendum, which seeks to ban battery-powered rental e-scooters has amassed 91,300 votes or 90% of the 103,000 voters. With 1.38 million eligible voters recorded in the city’s electoral register, the total voter turnout was less than eight percent.
Employment
Electric chargers
The scooter-sharing system introduced charging jobs that compensate people to find and charge scooters.
Mechanics
To sustain the condition of scooters, Bird hires three level of mechanics, L1, L2, and L3, to repair devices.
Developments and innovations
Usability
Jump has invested in improving the durability and safety of e-scooters by increasing the size of the vehicle and adding more-effective handbrakes.
Compliance
In 2018, Skip debuted the first dockless e-scooters attached with cameras taking periodic snapshots to monitor riding patterns, ensure that patrons are not riding on sidewalks, and confirm that vehicles are properly parked.
Gender gap
A large-scale questionnaire survey conducted by Portland State University demonstrated the gender gap in e-scooter usage: 64% identified as a man, 34% as a woman, and 2% as transgender or non-binary.