Feb 22, 2024
Shared micromobility has become increasingly popular in many European countries. While its usage in bigger cities and inner-city areas is well-examined, there’s still a lack of research on micromobility ridership in small towns and suburban areas.
So, in 2022, we commissioned Wildau University of Applied Sciences (TH Wildau) to examine just that. If you want to jump to the findings, scroll down to the last part of the article. Otherwise, let us give you some context first.
Among other things, the study aimed to assess:
To collect the necessary data, TH Wildau used the real-world lab* method.
*A real-world laboratory refers to a social context in which researchers carry out interventions in the sense of ‘real experiments’ to learn about social dynamics and processes. (Schneidewind, 2014).
To carry out the study, TH Wildau set up 3 test areas (so-called real-world laboratories), offering locals to rent shared scooters and e-bikes under various conditions, explained below:
| 🔎 Lab | Inhabitants /km2 | PT* density [freq. in min.]: | Parking system | Pricing |
| Berlin-Lichtenrade, southern suburb of Berlin | 2,918 | 10 | Virtual, station-based | Equal to that in the Berlin Business Area |
| Berlin-Zehlendorf, south-west suburb of Berlin | 5,205 | 10 | Free-float parking | More affordable minute prices and progressive distance-based pricing |
| Erkner, an urban area in a metropolitan city region. | 716 | 30 | Station-based with yellow markings on the ground | Fixed price at 14 cents/minute |
Fleets of 100 vehicles were used in all real-world laboratories (50 scooters and 50 e-bikes).
All real-world laboratories had a local bus network and at least one S-Bahn Berlin train station.
The labs were there for 9 months (from the summer of 2022 to the spring of 2023). We at Bolt were responsible for setting up and operating the labs, while TH Wildau provided scientific support.
In addition to collecting usage data, TH Wildau conducted further research on micromobility usage behaviour through surveys.
The survey was presented to existing users in the real-world labs via push notifications in the Bolt app as soon as users opened the app.
Lastly, to comprehensively understand the matter, TH Wildau interviewed 7 experts with the aim of:
After analysing data, user surveys, and expert interviews, TH Wildau came to the following conclusions.
51% to 67% of riders used scooters as a first/last mile option.
Thus, scooters and e-bikes can make a valuable contribution as an extension to public transport, particularly when public transport services (especially buses) are limited.
Users clearly favoured scooters over e-bikes (75% to 25%), which must be considered when designing sharing systems.
Nevertheless, there’s also a smaller group that favours e-bikes.
60–70% of users claimed they used scooters/e-bikes as an alternative to private cars. A quarter of users said they used them as an alternative to their car at least once a week.
There’s great potential, therefore, in replacing short car journeys with sharing systems, even in suburban areas. In this way, shared micromobility can strengthen the environmental network and contribute to achieving emission-reduction goals.
As mentioned, the study also considered the best parking model for shared micromobility systems:
Due to the inaccuracy of GPS technology, virtual drop-off stations were deemed inadequate by all surveyed stakeholders. Meanwhile, station-based systems didn’t lead to a drop-off in usage.
The best model was a mix of station-based and free-floating or only station-based (if sufficient stations are available).
Economic parking incentives proved ineffective in getting people to use scooters more in conjunction with public transport. Overall, the study didn’t find pricing a determining factor for usage in the outskirts.
Lastly, despite high demand, low density leads to questionable economics.
So, sharing providers have to reckon with the reduced economic viability of operations in the absence of subsidies.
To sum up, we can draw specific guidelines for an ideal-typical sharing system design. But it’s ultimately individual and must be customised for each municipality.
What’s essential is close and early coordination between the provider and the city, as well as carefully prepared communication to ensure system acceptance.
To fully realise the benefits of intermodal use and increase acceptance among non-users, cities must effectively integrate sharing systems into existing transport planning and infrastructure in the medium term.
Tap here to view TH Wildau’s study.
