Abstract
Electric scooter sharing (e-scooter sharing) is a new urban micro-mobility service that is expected to shape individual urban mobility. The introduction of e-scooter sharing systems poses challenging questions for cities and transportation planners regarding their effects on their transportation system. This study addresses the question concerning the strategies which are applied for the introduction of e-scooter sharing systems in different operation areas in Germany. An interview study with 21 stakeholders with different backgrounds (local transport authorities, public transport providers, e-scooter sharing operators, municipalities, associations, planning offices and consulting companies, and other mobility providers) was conducted to reflect upon the introduction of e-scooter sharing systems in Germany and stakeholders’ involvement in planning. The qualitative content analysis provides insights into the stakeholders’ assessment of the introduction process and thus contributes to a multi-perspective understanding on the topic. Derived hypotheses and recommendations further contribute to knowledge sharing and learning from experience. The paper concludes with a description of three introduction styles: protective, pro-active, and laissez-faire.
Highlights
Transportation systems are currently undergoing a transformation based on emerging technologies and new business models [1], such as shared mobility services [2]
Besides the national regulation and the memorandum of understanding (MoU), local authorities set up specific regulations, called voluntary self-commitment declaration or quality agreement that control for regulating the services in terms of maximum vehicles per city, restricted areas, and parking locations by geofencing or the provision of all geo-referenced vehicle locations in real time among others [39,40]
In Hanover, e-scooter sharing is ruled by no local voluntary self-commitment (German: freiwillige Selbstverpflichtung) but general rules according to the StVO (Straßenverkehrsverordnung—German Road Traffic Ordinance) and the Personal Light Electric Vehicles Regulations (German: ElektrokleinstfahrzeugeVerordnung) [46]
Summary
Transportation systems are currently undergoing a transformation based on emerging technologies and new business models [1], such as shared mobility services [2]. The introduction of e-scooter sharing systems is posing challenging questions for cities and transportation planners regarding their effects on the transportation system [3,4] Among these pressing questions are issues regarding the environmental impacts of this mobility option [5], the life cycle of the vehicles [4], accidents related to e-scooter use [6,7], and parking space needed [8]. For the introduction of e-scooter sharing systems in Germany, the question remains unanswered as to when and how stakeholders were involved in the process. For a multi-perspective view on the introduction of e-scooter sharing, it is essential to know the expectations of different stakeholders for their role in the process and their requirements regarding e-scooter sharing systems.
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