Analysis of attitudes and engagement of shared e-scooter users

Micromobility and especially e-scooter sharing have recently attracted a lot of attention, due to the rapid spreading of e-scooters in many cities around the world. However, many local authorities have not yet been prepared for efficiently integrating e-scooters in their transport systems and the exact impact of e-scooters is still unclear. It is therefore essential to understand the way e-scooters operate and their users’ profile. To address these questions, a study was designed based on 578 questionnaires (271 by e-scooter users and 307 by non-users) in the city of Thessaloniki, Greece. The analysis utilized a classification tree model for identifying the characteristics of people that are attracted by e-scooters (i.e., used them more than once) and a latent variable logit model for understanding the attributes of the regular e-scooter users. The results show that shared e-scooters mostly replaced walking and public transport trips; therefore, the positive impact of e-scooters on the environment is questioned. Also, the results indicate that people traveling with bicycle or motorcycle were not at all attracted by e-scooters. Moreover, females seem to be less keen on using e-scooters compared to males, while people living downtown are more regular users compared with those living in longer distances from the city center. These findings can aid policymakers in shaping the manner with which e-scooters can be incorporated in their cities.