Influence of Dockless Shared E-Scooters on Urban Mobility: WTP and Modal Shift

Abstract

Land use largely depends on the traffic policy of a city. The appearance of e-scooters can greatly affect the visual distribution of transportation, and thus the occupation of land, primarily in the central areas of cities. E-scooters as a shared micro-mobility service have become widespread worldwide since 2017. The advent of e-scooters has made changes in travel habits, especially in the central parts of big cities. However, many issues are focused on e-scooter shared mobility management policies. One of the important issues is the price of renting an e-scooter, on which the percentage of users who use e-scooters largely depend. In order to determine willingness to pay for e-scooter dockless shared mobility, a survey was conducted in the city of Belgrade (Serbia, Europe) on the willingness of participants to use this mode of transport for commuting and other travel purposes depending on the price of renting an e-scooter. The results showed that price plays an important role in the willingness of participants to use an e-scooter. The paper presents mathematical models, which include the cost of renting an e-scooter and the percentage of participants who would accept this type of transport. These mathematical models can help a decision maker to determine the pricing policy in order to maximize the profit from renting an e-scooter, as well as to influence modal shift in order to reduce car-dependent trips.