Revolutionizing Urban Mobility: The Rise and Impact of Micro-mobility Solutions
Mohamad Mansour, PMP?, CBSCP, Eng.
Experienced Transportation, Mobility, & Parking Industry Expert | Operations & Strategy Expert | PMP Certified | UAE PMI Chapter Member
Okay, so this is my THIRD newsletter topic I will be highlighting to you in my Transportation 2.0 Series. I hope you enjoyed and found them interesting being the first two editions, Embracing the Total Cost of Mobility: A Paradigm Shift in Transportation and The Future of Transportation: How Autonomous Vehicles are Reshaping the Logistics Industry. I would love to see your comments and feedback on the ongoing series. Feel free to share it if you find it interesting. Now, moving on!
The Rise and Impact of Micro-mobility Solutions
Micromobility - More than fun & games
In cities across Europe, America and Asia, millions of people have adopted a growing range of shared micromobility options. While bike and e-bike sharing schemes have become increasingly popular over the past five years, no one anticipated the massive uptake of e-scooters. Overnight, people riding through cities on e-scooters have become a common sight around the world. Within two years of the first service’s launch by Bird, in Santa Monica, California, in September 2017, e-scooter sharing services have reached 626 cities across 53 countries.
Cities tackling car-centric mobility
Today’s cities are facing alarming air and CO2 pollution rates — with cars as the main driver.2 Decarbonizing urban transport is now a central focus of global, national and city climate plans. The C40 network is challenging cities to draft high-ambition, Paris Agreement compatible climate plans, with cities like Paris, Stockholm and London paving the way. Cities must reduce pollution, congestion and noise while meeting the mobility demands of a growing population and a modern economy. There is increasing awareness around the burdens of car-centric mobility linked to pollution, noise and inefficient use of limited space. Post-car city road maps are becoming common. Paris has been first to set remarkable targets: zero diesel cars by 2024 and zero fossil fuel cars by 2030, with its mayor committing to green mobility and 1000 km of cycling lanes across the city with the “15 minute city” plan.
In less than two years, the e-scooter sector has matured and innovated at tremendous speed. The abrupt introduction of the new mode, often without suitable regulatory frameworks, led to a number of challenges. Under pressure to expand rapidly, early stage companies sometimes resorted to unadapted hardware or operating models, leading to socially and environmentally questionable practices. Increasing criticism around the negative environmental impact of these services, unsafe riding behavior and poor parking fueled the debate, leading some to call for an outright ban of e-scooter sharing.
Rapid Improvement
Nonetheless, e-scooter operators are demonstrating their ability to learn, adapt and drive sustainable innovation. Today, companies like Voi, a European e-scooter leader, are pioneering sustainable practices, working together with cities, their suppliers and users to reduce the environmental impact and responsibly integrate the service in cities. We take a look at key improvement areas and innovations.
While people try e-scooters for fun, convenience seems to keep people coming back
1. Cities are embracing Micromobility
While still in a learning phase, a surge in e-scooter regulation across the world and particularly in Europe indicates that cities are embracing the trend. Since 2018, European countries started to include e-scooters into road safety codes and national law. France, for instance, adopted the eagerly awaited Loi d’orientation des mobilités (LOM) in December 2019, which enables cities to regulate e-scooters. However, attempts to regulate e-scooters vary from city to city, with diverging outcomes.
Some cities are enabling benefits ...
“We see a shift in cities from the ‘Wild West’ (unregulated micromobility) to stricter regulation and lately toward flexible regulatory frameworks linked to operators’ performance indicators, using incentives and penalties backed up by data,” states Diego Canales, Head of Strategic Partnerships at Populus, a platform that helps cities manage shared mobility. French, Belgian and German cities have been at the forefront of creating frameworks for city-operator collaboration through tenders and licenses. Enabled by national legislation, these cities are setting requirements and limiting the number of players, creating an environment conducive to responsible and sustainable practices.
... but others are restricting them
Alongside promising policies are examples of poorly designed city regulations that hamper potential benefits — often because of little or no direction from the national level. Rather than addressing?common issues, local authorities are creating an environment that neither benefits users, nor allows operators to provide a quality service. Fleet sizes are capped low, spread out among 10+ operators thwarting the user experience and increasing the complexity of management for the city. In these cities, companies struggle to achieve profitability, hindering long-term investment in sustainable operations. Examples are Madrid, which granted licenses to 22 players, each assigned to specific neighborhoods, or Copenhagen, which is set to grant a license to 11 companies for 300 e-scooters each. Certain cities require all e-scooters, even charged ones, to be taken off the streets at night, increasing unnecessary CO2 emissions.
2. A compliment to public transportation
Well aware that the first- and lastmile problem is a key barrier to public transport adoption, public transit operators have been keen to experiment with micromobility services. Analyzing navigation and Google Maps data, researchers in France found that the best predictor of switching between a car ride and public transit was easier access to public transport, rather than an improved public transport quality. Along these lines, Eindhoven mobility experts point out that encouraging multi-modal and shared mobility can help reduce car use. Voi’s user surveys show that 63% of users combine e-scooters with public transport, indicating e-scooters do in fact act as a feeder to public transport. Collaboration between public transport and e-scooter operators is becoming common, ranging from data sharing and passenger deals to integrated payment and MaaS solutions. A recent partnership between Hamburg’s Hochbahn and Voi aimed to improve mobility offering reach in suburban areas.
“Moving forward, we’ll see an increase of cities subsidizing trips on routes that might not be profitable but provide social value, just as we see with public transport,” - Diego Canales from Populus.
3. E-scooter lifespan: from months to years
In order to reach the market rapidly, many operators started operations with off-the-shelf e-scooters not designed for shared use. It turned out that these scooters could easily be hacked and privatized, and were vulnerable to vandalism. Reports surfaced that scooters only lasted weeks or months before they were no longer usable. However, Voi data shows that investment in repairs allowed even first generation e-scooters to last longer than expected, reaching 12 months in certain cities. Leveraging data from millions of rides, the industry has made enormous improvements in terms of hardware design. E-scooters are designed for intense, shared use and outdoor conditions, improving lifespan and safety. Voi’s latest Voiager 3 scooter is estimated to have an average operational lifespan of 24 months.
4. Swappable e-scooters — from diesel vans to electric cargo bikes
Navigating congested cities on lightweight electric vehicles sounds great. Behind the scenes, however, these services have until now relied on networks of vans to collect low-battery scooters, bring them to a charging station, and deploy them once again across the city. Enabled by hardware innovations, operators are redesigning their operational models to reduce the environmental impact of the service. Initiatives include electrifying the service fleet and sourcing renewable energy. For instance, Voi has 100% electric operations in certain French, German and Nordic cities, with plans to scale these up.?
Swappable batteries: a sustainability game changer
This latest innovation removes the need to transport e-scooters for charging. Only batteries are transported to be charged and swapped on the spot, drastically reducing the service’s energy consumption and congestion contribution. Voi has started deploying swappable battery scooters in France and the Nordics, but stays committed to using previous models as long as possible to avoid unnecessary production of new scooters.
5. From piles of e-scooters to orderly parking
As e-scooters took Europe by storm, piles of scooters littering sidewalks became a common sight. Free-floating services effectively help solve first- and last-mile gaps but come with challenges related to parking and use of public space.?
Operators and cities are developing parking solutions?
Cities are starting to allocate space to new modes of transport, either by converting empty space or car parking spots. Voi developed a solution leveraging geofencing technology called Incentivized Parking Zones (IPZ), which encourages users to park in city designated parking hubs with a ride discount. First piloted in Aarhus, the solution has since been rolled out to other cities and has become an industry leading practice. In Aarhus, 60% of e-scooter rides end in parking hubs, indicating that it is possible to foster responsible behavior and a culture of shared mobility. Other solutions include infrastructure solutions such as parking racks, which Voi is rolling out in several cities.?
6. From freelance workers to employees
In early days, certain players relied on freelance or gig workers to collect and charge scooters, a model still used in the US and Latin America. In Europe, however, pressure from regulators and an internal push to streamline processes prompted most operators to rapidly abandon the practice. Operators now work with logistics partners or in-house employees, providing workers with formal contracts and benefits. Professionalizing operations leads to greater control over the quality and sustainability of operations. Fully owned or partnership operations allow operators to guarantee the type of vehicles that are used for operations, energy source for charging (renewable vs. not) and optimize operations.
7. Moving toward a sustainable mobility mix
A barrier to the sustainability impact of e-scooters is that they may fail to replace cars, limiting their potential urban mobility decarbonization contribution. Voi surveys indicate that 12% of trips replace cars; can this increase over time?
Environmental Contribution of Scooters
Two key drivers to improve the environmental impact of micromobility
Building a credible sustainability case for micromobility requires (1) measuring the overall impact throughout its lifetime and (2) considering what mode of transport they are substituting. For micromobility providers, this suggests that they must focus on:
Reducing emissions: A life cycle perspective
Publicly available evidence on the life-cycle impact of e-scooters is limited. The North Carolina University published the first lifecycle assessment (LCA) for e-scooter sharing services in May 2019. The study estimates the total life-cycle impact of electric scooters to be 126 grams of CO2 equivalent emissions per person per kilometer, roughly on par with a diesel bus.
The findings sparked debate, calling the sustainability claims of e-scooters into question. However, as these LCAs are based on a US service using a gig-economy model and do not account for the many recent improvements of the sector, the study cannot directly be used to assess the state of European e-scooter sharing today. In 2019, Voi approached the EY Climate Change and Sustainability Services practice to help it understand their environmental performance and how to improve it. In addition, Voi has agreed to be the first operator to share the results of its LCA publicly, believing that transparency will help regulators with policy decisions. Voi’s LCA allows for European e-scooter services, including recent innovations, to be assessed providing insights into the current environmental impact of e-scooters sharing.
The full life-cycle assessment of Voi’s Paris operations shows that Voi’s service emits 35g of CO2 equivalent per person per kilometer in Paris, France, 72% lower than the North Carolina University study estimate for a service in Raleigh, USA. The main contributors to these emissions are the production and transport of the e-scooters from production sites to Europe. Emissions from usage and operations have been significantly decreased–0.3g and 1.1g, respectively, thanks to the use of cargo bikes and e-vans powered by renewable energy. Voi’s strong focus on repairs, reuse of spare parts and recycling of materials, in collaboration with local partner Paprec, enables the production impact to be offset significantly.
Reducing emissions
In Q1 2019, the life-cycle assessment of Voi’s Paris service measured CO2 equivalent per person per kilometer at 121g, for early-generation scooters, a 12-month scooter lifespan and combustion engine operations. In Q3 2019, emissions decreased to 68g. Multiple factors contributed to this reduction, such as higher scooter lifespan, increased utilization and fully electric operations using e-vans. The swappable battery effect In Q1 2020, the transition to a fully swappable battery scooter fleet, which enables cargo bike operations and increased lifespan further reduces the emissions by 51% to 35g CO2 eq. per person per kilometer. The Voiager 3 has an estimated lifespan of 24 months, in line with the optimistic scenario of the North Carolina University study. Combined, these initiatives reduced Voi’s emissions by 71% in Paris since January 2019.
End-of-life treatment
Voi uses circular economy principles, reusing scooter parts where possible and partnering with leading recycling experts such as Paprec in France and Fortum in Sweden to develop reconditioning solutions for damaged lithium-ion batteries. Nearly 90% of the Voiager 3 is made of easily recyclable materials, enabling high recycling rates for scooter parts that cannot be reused. In Paris, Paprec’s network achieves a 99% or above recycling rate for aluminum, steel and plastic, and a 70% recycling rate for lithium-ion batteries.
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Key improvement areas for reduced environmental impact
Reducing energy consumption and emissions of operations
The North Carolina University study estimates operations to drive 43% of emissions. The analysis shows its operations account for only 3.5% of Voi’s emission in Paris. This has been achieved with a number of initiatives:
Improving lifespan
The lifespan of an e-scooter is the chief component of both environmental and financial performance. While lifespans have improved, scooters should be a top focus for operators. Voi’s latest swappable e-scooter model is expected to have an operational lifespan of 24 months. Key levers for extended lifespan are:?
How can cities unleash the potential of micromobility?
When managed sustainably and integrated effectively within existing transport ecosystems, e-scooters can help cities decarbonize transport and improve quality of life. With e-scooters here to stay, the question is no longer whether cities should welcome e-scooters but how. “Ultimately, cities want to understand the implications of micromobility, handle the externalities and learn how to benefit from it,” comments Diego Canales from Populus. Based on our talks with cities and research insights, we come with seven recommendations for policy makers and city officials to unlock the potential of shared scooters and driving sustainability best practice.?
1. Implement national policies that foster a transition toward sustainable mobility
Sustainable urban mobility requires governments, cities, public transport operators and private actors to work together toward shared goals. National policies are crucial to enable cities to regulate but also allow cities to move smartly toward sustainable mobility. Governments should set national traffic and product requirements on the one side and push cities to allocate more space to micromobility — both in terms of parking spots and micromobility lanes. In addition, national legislation needs to provide the right framework for cities to choose operators based on criteria related to safety, operations, data sharing and sustainability.?
2. Limit and select players based on sustainability, safety and operational excellence
Cities are increasingly running public tenders to select operators and enforce requirements. Marseille is considered to have run a successful tender, by capping the number of players based on population size and selecting operators according to multiple criteria. A capped market fosters more certainty for operators enabling investment in sustainable service. Clear requirements for operational and hardware sustainability should be set. Cities should select operators who have a track record in responsible employment, sustainable practices such as extending scooter lifespan and green operations with e-vans, cargo bikes and renewable energy. Employ dynamic fleet capping based on utilization data so that demand is met. User data shows that critical density of scooters is required to unlock the convenience and first- and last-mile benefits of the service.
3. Foster public transport — micromobility collaboration
Experts envision dense shared mobility offerings composed of solutions such as e-scooters and automated shuttles enabling access to public transport and strengthening alternative mobility networks. Cities should not shy away from relying on privately owned companies that shoulder the financial burden and pursue partnerships in order to address challenges. With the 2030 Agenda calling for increased Partnerships for the Goals (SDG 17), collaboration between e-scooter and public transport operators is a promising example of public-private partnerships that has the potential to support a transition toward sustainable urban mobility.
4. Create access to micromobility parking
Policies geared toward levelling the playing field between cars and new modes are needed. With competition for public space, local governments can look at curb productivity, an indicator enabling data driven urban space management, based on how productive (# of passengers) a mode is per time and space. For example, shared e-scooters can be used by up to 8–10 people daily and a single car parking spot can house up to 10–15 scooters, while cars transport on average 1.3 people and are parked 95% of the time. Cities should establish that lighter modes of transport have access to parking space. The city of Paris has allocated 2,500 micromobility parking spots for a planned 15,000 e-scooter fleet (which will be spread across three operators).
By converting the empty space between pedestrian crossings and parking spots, Paris found a low-cost way to enable orderly parking. Other cities should follow suit and put in place a critical mass of spots to meet the demand for parking and incentivize users to park in an orderly fashion. Parking zones, however, should be incentivized rather than mandatory, which could thwart some of the benefits of freefloating services (services without fixed stations) such as a reduction in mobility options for city residents.
5. Support safety efforts and invest in alternative mobility infrastructure
Safe mobility is a shared responsibility between governments, cities and service providers. A report published in February 2020 by ITF concludes that e-scooter riders do not face a significantly higher risk of road traffic death or injury than cyclists. In fact, the real danger on the road remains cars, with heavy motor vehicles at higher speed involved in 80% of fatal crashes with cyclists and e-scooter riders. The report’s recommendations for policymakers and city planners include creating protected and connected infrastructure for micromobility. This dramatically increases adoption and safety of the mode, by separating cars from other modes. Furthermore, traffic calming measures (e.g., speed reduction) has a positive effect on micromobility safety. Cities should favor operators who invest in user awareness and safety events to foster responsible behavior. Cities can support and legitimize safety campaigns and help enforce sanctions for bad behavior such as drunk driving.
6. Harness the power of data and regulate dynamically
Harnessing data insights is a priority for city officials and mobility plans. “Collaboration with providers, access to data and learning by doing are the most important factors for us — we need to know what happens on the street,” comments Eindhoven mobility experts. Free-floating, connected mobility services provide invaluable insights into how people move around cities, helping to identify mobility gaps and understand habits. Cities can use tools provided by third parties. For example, Voi’s City Data Dashboard is a platform built to help city stakeholders and regulators understand and manage the use of scooters in their city — the number of trips, trip distance and duration, times of trips, most used routes, etc. These tools can enable evidence driven policies and investment in improved, safer and greener transport options. Dynamic regulation based on user patterns and utilization data provides flexibility and can maximize benefits. For instance, fleet caps should be adapted to demand data. Voi fleet data shows that critical density of scooters is required to unlock the convenience and first- and last-mile benefits of the service.
7. Foster modal shift
Reducing car trips can only be achieved by combining smart policies that promote sustainable behavior with convenient transport alternatives. Today, most cities have implemented Sustainable Mobility Plans, which set reducing combustion engine-based trips and increasing alternative mobility share as central targets. Alternative mobility has traditionally included walking, cycling and public transport but not micromobility. Widening the definition of alternative mobility to include sustainable micromobility options can help cities effectively reduce transport emissions without thwarting accessibility. Policies focusing on behavior are key. Changing habits is a key challenge for most policies, providing convenient, affordable options while incentivizing behavior through taxes, MaaS integrations and service design are key. Attracting youth early on to alternative mobility rather than car adoption is also crucial and removes the need to convert them later on.?
The path to a sustainable future
Today’s cities are facing a challenge: reducing pollution and congestion while improving urban access and quality of life. To usher European cities into post-car centers, noise and pollution free zones will not only take smart policies and infrastructure, but a fundamental shift in mobility habits and behavior. This is where the sustainability potential of e-scooters lies: first tried out for fun but adopted for convenience, they exhibit tremendous uptake pointing to their potential to change the way we move in cities. By making alternative and public transit systems more accessible and convenient, e-scooters can serve as a catalyst toward shared and low-carbon mobility.
“Shared mobility is part of the bigger plan of creating a livable, sustainable and accessible city with places that are pleasant to stay in. MaaS and micromobility are key in our plans,” - Eindhoven MaaS experts Astrid Zwegers & Jan Willem van der Pas.
To take advantage of e-scooters, cities and policy makers should embrace the trend and create environments conducive to private sector investment and sustainable practices that benefit the city, its citizens and the planet. Together, investment toward micromobility infrastructure, effective policies, innovation and responsible business practices can help cities reach their climate goals, reclaim space for citizens and improve their quality of life. While some challenges remain for the e-scooter sector, such as solving parking and improving safety, the unexpected rise of the e-scooter in Europe shows that the future of mobility that is people-centric and provides low-carbon transport may come faster than we thought. Data-driven smart policies are needed to support the shift rather than delay it
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