How Can Micromobility Be Made Future-proof?

The shared micromobility industry is entering a new era. Post-pandemic ridership is rising as cities transition their micromobility programs from pilot phases to long-term programs.

FREMONT, CA: A new age in shared micromobility is beginning. As towns move their micromobility initiatives from pilot phases to long-term programmes, post-pandemic ridership is increasing. The sector is also being tested in this new era as businesses battle to build sustainable business strategies.

Micromobility will be critical in helping cities transition to a more car-free, carbon-free, and less polluted future. But to do it right, businesses and city partners must collaborate. Doing so calls for cooperation on policy, mixed fleets of vehicles, and a greater emphasis on financials.

Integrating Micromobility With Safe, Reliable Transportation Networks

As initiatives like Vision Zero gain traction in the United States, micromobility is becoming more prominent. The goal of the approach, initially put into practice in Sweden in the 1990s, is to increase safe, healthy, and equitable mobility while eradicating all road fatalities and serious injuries. To conduct citywide programmes, this proactive, preventative strategy partners with micromobility businesses and stresses traffic safety as a public health concern.

Making riding safe entails developing safe infrastructure. Studies demonstrate that protected bike lanes, which keep riders safer by separating them from car traffic, are an efficient way to integrate micromobility into local transportation networks.

Protected bike lanes also give riders a sense of safety, enhancing usage.

Beyond bike lanes, micromobility businesses must collaborate with cities to ensure every block has the necessary parking infrastructure. This is required to improve the integration of shared scooters and bikes with regional transportation systems. In order for transportation planners to identify the ideal places for these enhancements, businesses will also need to keep providing information on passenger volumes. In an effort to keep riders safe, a few localities are also considering banning nighttime riding, although the measure has generated debate.

Curfews just set us behind in the long run, adding that they hinder access and contradict cities' long-term mobility and climate goals. They learnt from micromobility experimental phases that curfews only set us back. Just like people driving automobiles, persons riding scooters and motorcycles should have the right to travel at night.

Residents who may not own a car, do not have other transportation options, or choose to use a more environmentally friendly method of transportation are unfairly penalised by curfew violations. They might make the traffic worse. This is why working closely with cities is so crucial.

They intend to collaborate with city partners to keep users safe while retaining transit availability, rather than prohibiting shared bikes and scooters at night. This entails giving cities information on ridership to help them pinpoint the best places for protected bike lanes and assisting in their construction.

Cities should also think carefully about the micromobility firms they work with because the cars' safety is of utmost importance. They must improve suspension, brilliant underdeck lighting, and sophisticated geofencing to its most recent scooter and bike deployment features that not many other micromobility businesses have incorporated or prioritised.

Selling a micromobility plan to people committed to their current commuting habits is one of the difficulties in putting one into practice. According to data, diversified fleets are one of the greatest strategies for boosting ridership. Communities can expand access by offering a variety of vehicle types, but some micromobility programmes only offer one kind of vehicle, often a standing scooter.

For instance, minority groups like women and senior riders frequently favour seated scooters and throttle-assist e-bikes. These bikes are better for riders dressed for work and those who just want a more balanced ride because they have larger tyres, a lower centre of gravity, and don't need standing or pedalling. Data support demand for a sitting model: In markets with both standing and seated scooters available, seated scooters are used 23 per cent more frequently.

To encourage more people to ride, every city prioritises providing a variety of seated and standing vehicles, such as e-bikes, standing scooters, and seated scooters. Offering options to riders boost demand and promotes revenue.

The top priority is creating and deploying cutting-edge micromobility fleets that accept riders of all ages and abilities.

Based on direct consumer input and market analysis, the business recently debuted the Apollo, a class II e-bike, to improve the accessibility of its fleet. It addresses two previously unmet demands in the shared micromobility space: two-person capacity and a cargo storage mechanism. It is intended to enhance ridership.