Shared micromobility giant Bolt has found 53% of its scooter riders are more likely to switch from cars to public transport because of the availability of shared micromobility.
In its largest ever scooter study of 3,000 riders across 14 of its 25 European countries, Bolt found that 39% of scooter riders would have used private cars if shared scooters had not been available.
The operator conducted the study to celebrate European Mobility Week and highlight how shared scooters make cities more inclusive by expanding mobility options in underserved areas, while decreasing reliance on private cars, and boosting local business.
“We already knew from previous studies that shared scooters are playing a key role in city transport systems and providing affordable, accessible options to a wide range of customers, notably commuters,” Bolt Global Policy Communications Lead James Midmer told Zag Daily. “These results show how normalised micromobility has become as part of many people’s daily habits, but we know we have much further to go.”
In line with World Car Free Day on 22 September, the study found that 38% of Bolt scooter riders don’t own a car, and 30% said they’re less likely to buy one as they can use shared scooters instead.
53% of riders use scooters daily for commuting and 59% use them for running errands. Investigating the impact of this rider behaviour on the local economy, Bolt found that almost half of its scooter riders said they paused their ride to stop at a local business. 35% said they bought goods during at least two previous rides, and 27% purchased goods during at least three rides.
Supporting this finding, national charity Cycling UK discovered that every pound invested in walking and cycling generates £5.62 back into the wider economy, whereas for roads it’s £2.50.
On average, Bolt users are willing to walk up to four minutes to get to a scooter or e-bike for a 10-minute ride. Bolt calls for operators and cities to make scooters and e-bikes readily available in the areas where people live, work and study to make shared mobility accessible for all.
