Source: Zag Daily

A report by the UK’s charity for shared transport, CoMoUK, has revealed that the number of shared e-scooter users in England increased by 55% in the period from October 2024 to September 2025 to 1.5 million, and that 16.7 million trips were made.

The figures are presented in CoMoUK’S Annual Shared Micromobility Report UK 2025, with data coming from a CoMoUK survey of 3,068 active users, and operators of shared mobility schemes in the UK. Over the course of numerous shared e-scooter trials since July 2020 in England, over 3.5 million users and almost 72 million trips have been recorded.

Although bike share schemes are more widely available in the UK beyond the England-only e-scooter schemes, the number of active users fell 12% year-on-year to 2.7 million, although this number is more than four times than recorded in 2019. The number of shared bike users in the survey sample amount to 2,602 and e-scooter users to 1,543, with a total of 1,077 using both modes. This represents a growth of users using both modes of transport from 30% in 2024 to 35% in 2025, suggesting that more shared bike users now also use shared e-scooters, according to CoMoUK CEO Richard Dilks.

E-scooters favoured by lower-income users

Shared scooters are used more frequently and by a higher proportion of people in lower income bands, the report shows.

Just over half of users have an annual income of up to £30,000 (€34,746), while users with an income of over £50,000 (€57,910) amount to 25%. The median income of shared scooter users is £29,500 (€34,167) compared to a UK average for full-time employees of £39,039 (€45,215).

Of e-scooter users in the three lowest income brackets, between 57% and 63% use the service at least once a week, which compares to only 29% in the highest income group.

Richard Dilks highlights that, as the UK government moves towards national legislation for e-scooters, there should be a focus on boosting both the physical and financial accessibility of shared e-scooters. Over a quarter of shared scooter trips directly replace car journeys, and 40% of users say they now drive less often; the report estimates that each user reduces their car mileage by around 245 miles (394 km) per year.

Dilks says, “There is currently no subsidy on offer for shared e-scooter schemes with operators instead being asked to pay fees to local authorities. It is therefore inevitable that these schemes focus on commercial viability.”

Filling public transport gaps

Almost 40% of users of shared bikes and scooters said they allow access to places not served by public transport. Dilks emphasised that shared mobility and public transport sysems are “highly complementary, particularly across a person’s overall lifestyle and often within one journey.”

Dilks also described how shared schemes can effectively serve more tangential routes between suburban areas, in contrast to public transport routes that more often radiate out from city centres. Shared mobility schemes are also widely used at times when public transport is not available or may be overcrowded.