A First Look at E-Scooter Users

Abstract

Micromobility, defined as short-distance transport, is recently experiencing a global growth. The primary goal of this new mobility trend is to provide environmentally friendly options for trips that cannot be accomplished with public transport and reduce automobile dependence. A popular transport mode is electric scooters (e-scooters) and they have been making inroads in several countries and cities on a global scale. However, there is little guidance regarding their operations. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the users’ attitudes and behavior of e-scooters in Thessaloniki, Greece. In-person and electronic surveys were completed targeting persons who have used an e-scooter more than once. The findings indicate that users most frequently ride on bicycle lanes and on roads without bike lane, while they prefer to use them for recreational purposes and not for commuting. Concerning the issues that would prevent them from using an e-scooter, greater importance is assigned to the bad behavior of car drivers, while bicycle lanes is considered the most efficient way for improving the use of e-scooters. Finally, slight differences were found on the behavior of users based on their age and gender, but people of different age and gender share similar attitudes.