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CoMoUK, an organisation and charity promoting the social, economic and environmental benefits of shared transport, has published its report on three years of e-scooter trials in England.
The charity shared, “We come to a number of recommendations, leading with the need for legislation. The trials have clearly proved popular in a sustained way and our work brings new insights into the trials, which have now been running for almost three years.”
“Our report is here and results from data gathering from operators and dialogue with all stakeholders. We look forward to delving further into the dynamics of shared e-scooters in future work and have written to transport minister to further press the case for legislation to make e-scooters legalisation via creating a new low emission powered light vehicle class.”
The report covers a wide range of topics and considerations, with trials totalling 2.3 million users and current e-scooter fleet numbers standing at over 24,000. Recommendations are given in the following seven areas: Communication, Infrastructure, Legislation, Stop treating e-scooters as cars, Procurement, Parking and Technology.
CoMoUK holds a monthly forum for authorities working on or interested in shared e-scooter trials, with the most recent one having just taken place on Monday 15th May. Interested parties may email Antonia@como.org.uk to express their interest in joining.
With a current combined fleet of 21,000 scooters in the streets in the Brussels region, a draft decision aims to cut these down to 8,000 and limit the number of operators to 2
The Brussels government wants to allow a maximum of 8,000 shared scooters in the capital’s streets from next year, vrt reports. With the number currently standing at 21,000, this equates to a reduction of more than 60%. The proposal comes in the form of a draft decision that the government has approved at second reading. From 2024, the government also wants only 2 distributors of shared scooters in the capital. Additionally, there be limits on other shared vehicles, such as bicycles and cargo bikes.
To combat wild parking, the principle of “drop zones” will be extended to the entire territory of the capital region from January. Scooters will only be allowed to be left behind in those zones. The government also wants heavier fines, or levies for the movement or removal of a vehicle that is left behind, outside of these drop zones. If that is not sufficient, it cannot be ruled out that a strict ban will be introduced at a later stage. This was already stated in parliament a few weeks ago by Minister of Mobility Elke Van den Brandt (Green).
Last autumn, Van den Brandt presented the draft decision to regulate the market for shared scooters and bicycles in Brussels. Since then, there has been extensive consultation with, among others, the municipalities and police zones. The draft decree still has to be submitted to the Council of State before the government can start a third and final reading.
430 European cities to receive support to develop their Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs)
A recommendation was adopted on 8 March by the European Commission, designed to help member states to support their cities and towns in improving urban mobility and cutting transport emissions. The 430 major cities along the trans-European transport network will receive support to develop their SUMPs.
National programmes are recommended to support the planning and implementation of urban mobility, managed by a dedicated office. Cities should expect support in the form of guidance materials, traningin programmes and capacity building, alongside technical expertise and financial support.
Cities and towns will be encouraged to participate in peer learning and networking, and the sharing of good practices. Coordinated awareness-raising campaigns are also envisaged. Representatives from national programme management offices will be invited to work with the new Expert Group on Urban Mobility. Member States are expected to inform the Commission annually of actions taken in the light of the Recommendation.
Under the recommendation, the concept of SUMPs has been updated to integrate latest policy developments and strategies to make use of new mobility services, address climate change, and reduce road fatalities in cities. These policy developments prioritise such affordable and sustainable transport modes as shared mobility services, walking, cycling, public transport and zero-emission urban logistics. The update to the SUMPs concept is a result of the commitment to the European Commission’s 2021 Urban Mobility Framework.
Micromobility operators including LEVA-EU member Dott, alongside Voi, Lime, Superpedestrian and TIER, have collaborated on publishing industry recommendations to European cities on the best practices for safe and well-managed micromobility services
To support the increasing uptake of micromobility services in numerous cities, a report outlining best practices has been prepared by five operators, designed to assist cities move from pilot programmes to permanent regulations.
The report was signed by Henri Moissinac, CEO of LEVA-EU member Dott; Wayne Ting, CEO of Lime; Assaf Biderman, CEO of Superpedestrian; Lawrence Leuschner, CEO of TIER Mobility; and Fredrik Hjelm, CEO of Voi.
It highlights several common features of well-managed micromobility programmes, with regard to both administration and operations.
Number of Operators
A balance should be sought between avoiding oversaturation, while maintaining customer choice and healthy competition. The suggested guideline is that markets deploying over 1,000 e-scooters have a minimum of two and maximum of three operators.
Fleet Size
Manageability of fleet size and maintaining tidiness is key; an initial fleet should comprise 80-120 vehicles per square kilometre.
Programme Length
A programme should run for sufficient time to allow users to rely on vehicle availability, and for the set-up and evaluation of the services. The report recommends a minimum of two years for pilot schemes, and three-four years for permanent programmes.
Contracts of this length could encourage operators to make longer-term investments in the cities.
Operator Fees
The fees to cover the costs of programme administration and public space occupancy should be consistent with those paid by similar modes, such as bike shares.
If required, this should be a fixed annual fee per e-vehicle which is set prior to vendor selection and applies consistently across all operators.
The operators claim that this would avoid negative outcomes such as overpromising on financial commitments or winning bids and then withdrawing due to unsustainable fees.
They also ask that the fees recognise that e-scooter schemes are typically not subsidised.
Data Sharing
The five operators emphasise the value of uniform and automated data sharing through GBFS (General Bikeshare Feed Specification) and MDS (Mobility Data Specification) protocols.
This allows for the consistent submission of data while protecting rider privacy.
The use of these protocols enables operators to spend more time working with cities to provide useful data rather than having to build bespoke data provision.
Selection Process
The operators state that tenders are generally the best approach for identifying suitable micromobility operators in each city.
License structures and free markets are less desirable, as they encourage oversaturation and poorly managed fleets.
The report emphasises that operators should also never be selected based on financial contribution, as this can lead to an inability to deliver quality services when the business is not economically sustainable.
Instead, tenders should prioritise reliability, safety, sustainability and fleet management.
In addition, the operators ask that cities avoid issuing tenders that specify technology or operational practices, especially those that are just emerging, as this can limit innovation.
In comparison, outcome-based and technology-neutral requirements encourage operators to use their experience and creativity to mitigate behaviours such as sidewalk riding, tandem riding and irresponsible parking. This approach encourages innovation based on local conditions and will allow new practices to develop.
Operating Area
The designated operating area for micromobility vehicles should optimise access to key destinations throughout the city.
Generally, operating within the entire city boundary is preferable to connect residents with all destinations. Where this is not feasible, the report suggests a focus on important centres such as cultural hubs, businesses and recreational facilities.
Parking
The report highlights the importance of providing sufficient parking close to where riders start and end their trips.
In dense urban areas, this could include mandatory parking in dedicated, physical parking spots. A minimum of 40 parking bays should be provided per square kilometre and each scooter should have a minimum of three parking spots.
Alternatively, cities can use stationless parking in less dense areas, or where infrastructure is not available. This provision should be accompanied by clear rules about safe parking and the inclusion of no parking zones.
The report suggests that a hybrid system combining the two approaches is a practical way for cities to experiment with these options.
Speed
The report recommends a maximum speed limit of between 20–25 kilometres per hour to ensure rider safety, and consistency with other vehicles such as e-bikes, allowing for safe riding that aligns with the pace of urban traffic.
The report argues that a cap below 20 kilometres per hour increases risks by restricting riders to a speed that is significantly lower than other road users, and possibly encourage riders to ride on sidewalks if restricted to a low speed.
Helmets
The report suggests that helmets should be encouraged but not be required, as this would discourage the uptake of micromobility, increase social inequalities and create disproportionate enforcement costs.
Micro-mobility for Europe (MMfE), the EU association for shared micromobility providers, has released a first-of-its-kind factsheet on incident data.
The factsheet (accessible here) combines incident data from the association’s six founding members: Bird, Bolt, Dott, Lime, Tier, and Voi. The association shared, “Our goal is to shed light on the debate around shared e-scooters safety by providing data in a transparent manner on the volume, severity of incidents, and their implications on the safety of road users. Ultimately, we hope these insights will help inform conversations and road safety policies in the EU that reduce incident risks for vulnerable road users, such as shared micro-mobility riders, and we are committed to continuing working closely with authorities to do so.“
Key findings, based on 240 million shared e-scooter trips:
When comparing 2021 to 2019, the risk of incidents that require medical attention has reduced by 60%.
In 2021, 5.1 injuries per million km travelled required medical assistance.
Fatality rates on shared e-scooters are thought to be about half those of private e-scooters.
Cyclists and shared e-scooter riders have a similar risk of fatal incidents. Shared e-scooter rider fatality risk is 20 times lower than that of moped riders.
The fatality risk for shared e-scooter use is 0.015 per 1 million km ridden.
The factsheet makes a range of recommendations aimed at improving road safety for vulnerable users, including shared e-scooter riders. It is recommended that there is an investment in safe infrastructure; that e-scooter riders are acknowledged as vulnerable road users; that there is further enforcement of traffic rules by local authorities; and that incident reporting standards are harmonised across Europe.
Sixteen designated parking spaces have been set aside in the centre of Amersfoort in a quest to resolve the annoyance of irresponsibly parked electric scooters, shared by the city community. Similarly built hubs are also due for development in nearby local areas.
Residents have begun to protest against the often-abandoned vehicles, which have become hazardous for dwellers. A recent evaluation of the shared mobility scheme found that between January and August of 2022, bad parking accounted for over half of complaints. It’s believed that introducing designated parking areas will not only make the area safer, but will also make it easier to find one of the shared vehicles.
300 shared bicycles and 300 shared scooters are currently available for use by Amersfoort’s 150,000 inhabitants, although these numbers have reduced from 12,000 in mid-2022, due to two of five providers withdrawing from the sustainable transport scheme. However, the evaluation report concluded that half of the users have left their car at home in favour of the scooters, with the largest demographic under the age of 29. The main motives for the popularity were saving time, not needing to own a scooter or bike, and to have fun. From the reports, scooters have proved more favourable than the shared bicycles.
The evaluation was based upon Amersfoort residents’ survey answers, data from the providers, reports to local government and results from a survey of MBO students.
The micromobility fleet provider joins Tier and Lime in deploying a sizeable joint fleet of 6,000 vehicles throughout the city.
Announced in late 2022, Madrid City Council launched its first tender for shared e-scooters in the city. It is now confirmed that the bid has been won by the providers Dott, Tier and Lime collectively. Initial contracts are for an operating time of 3 years, with the potential for extensions in increments of 6 months following the initial period.
Dott already maintains a fleet of e-bikes in Madrid, which have been operating since March 2021, and provides micromobility services to many key European cities including London, Rome, Stockholm, Brussels and Paris. In Madrid, the brand will be introducing completely new e-scooters, featuring large (12”) wheels for stability, front, rear and indicator lights, and a phone holder.
Maxim Romain, co-founder and COO of Dott, said: “The launch in Madrid marks a turning point for our service in Spain, and a major increase in the number of vehicles we operate there as we bring efficient, safe and environmentally friendly transport to the capital city. We will bring our experience of collaborating closely with city authorities across Europe to ensure that we offer a reliable service for our riders whilst respecting all other road users and pedestrians.”
The city’s e-bike service is seeing extensive development, from rebranding, to payment updates, to anti-vandalism measures. The changes come as Madrid continues to work towards fully unlocking the potential of cycling.
José Luis Martínez-Almeida, the Mayor of Madrid, has unveiled the newly upgraded iteration of Bicimad, the city’s public electrical bicycle system. Firstly, the network is working towards featuring a total 7,500 e-bikes and 611 stations, reaching all 21 districts of the city. Additionally, the new E-FIT model will be made of recycled aluminium, presenting a more manageable, ergonomic and robust design that substantially improves the user experience.
Key upgrades:
Anti-vandalism design: Tires feature an anti-puncture design, an anti-theft system is integrated into the chassis, and all wires and lights are now integrated into the frame.
Maintenance: Bicycles anchored in a parking point are permanently monitored, with physical buttons available for users to indicate that maintenance is required.
Payment system upgrade: Payments are now possible through MPass, the system associated with buses, car parks etc. in the city.
According to the latest data from Mobility-as-a-service provider Dott, the energy crisis has encouraged more Europeans to travel using shared e-scooter and e-bike services.
The survey, which considers the views of 1,402 Dott riders from across Belgium, France, Italy, Sweden, and the UK, found that over a third (36%) of its shared micromobility fleet users have switched their mobility habits as a direct result of the energy crisis. Within this group, 49% of riders were over the age of 55.
Dott correlates these increases to a drop in car usage; 69% of riders that previously travelled by car or taxi had reduced these methods of transport in exchange for micromobility options. Additional key findings include:
41% of Dott users have reported increased usage of bikes (private or shared) to move around the city since joining the service.
63% of riders connect their ride with other public transportation options.
50% of riders use Dott vehicles to reach work or school, and 61% to reach a private residence.
34% of riders are now women, an increase of 48% since 2020.
Henri Moissinac, Co-Founder and CEO of Dott, said: “Our shared e-scooters and e-bikes can help lower the cost of travel, whether for a whole journey or combined with public transport for longer trips. Charged by green energy, and with our operations relying on cargo bikes and e-vans, our fleet of vehicles provide efficient, environmentally friendly and affordable travel, at a time when fuel costs are putting people’s finances under pressure.”
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