Regulatory Harmonization and Collaborative Governance: Exploring the Shared Micromobility Policy Practices for Post-pandemic Deployment

Abstract

Local governments across the United States took vastly different approaches to the regulation of dockless e-scooter sharing, resulting in a patchwork of regulatory policies. While recent literature suggested, there is evidence of convergence amongst cities with similar characteristics, the extent of harmonized jurisdictional e-scooter policies had not yet been investigated. With the future of public and shared transportation already tenuous due to COVID-19, this paper investigates the different rules and regulations threatening the resurgence of fleet operations in neighboring jurisdictions. The research team first explored precedent and mechanisms for transportation harmonization at different levels of government, and second, studied the degree of harmonization of neighboring jurisdictions. The paper uses a comparative multi-case study approach of six neighbor pairs to uncover patterns of harmonization between neighboring jurisdictions. Findings indicate a convergence of harmonization between equal-sized cities appears more frequently than disparate cities, supporting previous research. Also, pairs in states which follow Dillon's Rule show alignment in the device, safety, insurance, and right-of-way policies, whereas home rule neighbors more frequently diverge from each other. These findings highlight the need to understand regional policy harmonization better. Submitted for presentation at the 100th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board and for publication at the Transportation Research Record journal