Abstract
This paper investigated the travel patterns of 1.7 million shared E-scooter trips from April 2018 to February 2019 in Austin, TX. There were more than 6000 active E-scooters in operation each month, generating over 150,000 trips and covered approximately 117,000 miles. During this period, the average travel distance and operation time of E-scooter trips were 0.77 miles and 7.55 min, respectively. We further identified two E-scooter usage hotspots in the city (Downtown Austin and the University of Texas campus). The spatial analysis showed that more trips originated from Downtown Austin than were completed, while the opposite was true for the UT campus. We also investigated the relationship between the number of E-scooter trips and the surrounding environments. The results show that areas with higher population density and more residents with higher education were correlated with more E-scooter trips. A shorter distance to the city center, the presence of transit stations, better street connectivity, and more compact land use were also associated with increased E scooter usage in Austin, TX. Surprisingly, the proportion of young residents within a neighbourhood was negatively correlated with E-scooter usage.
Highlights
Shared, dockless E-scooters (e.g., Lime and Bird scooters, E-scooters from here on out) are the newest form of shared mobility services
To expand the research boundary and to offer more empirical evidence, we investigated the spatial-temporal patterns of shared E-scooters in Austin, TX, via GIS spatial analysis
Descriptive analysis showed that, on average, there were more than 6000 monthly active E-scooters in Austin
Summary
Dockless E-scooters (e.g., Lime and Bird scooters, E-scooters from here on out) are the newest form of shared mobility services They provide users with a fun, flexible way to fulfill their short-distance trips, and as a result, they have become extremely popular in many US cities (e.g., Austin, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, and Los Angeles) in recent years. Public health scholars have even suggested the potential of E-scooter operation increasing carbon emissions [1] Because of their convenience, flexibility, and pleasant riding experience, E-scooters have successfully satisfied the huge demand-supply gap in the market and have become very popular in many US cities (e.g., Austin, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, etc.) in a matter of one year. San Francisco’s Department of Public Works has accused E-scooter companies of contributing to illegal scooter parking in public spaces Seattle, another bike-share-friendly city, even halted the operation of E-scooters altogether due to safety concerns. In the last section, we concluded the study by discussing the practical contribution of this paper and future research direction
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