This Project highlights the gap in short-distance travel demand in American cities and introduces "shared micromobility" as solution for carless individuals. Urban planners face challenges in negotiating with private operators and addressing issues like overcrowded e-scooters. Establishing a balanced public-private partnership requires empirical evidence on scooter use and its local impact. Strategic planning should assess the societal impacts of micromobility investments, focusing on their connection to leisure facility visits.

Abstract

Shared micromobility programs, including dockless electric scooter-share (E-scooter), are popular in many U.S. cities, with the hope of improving car-free accessibility. However, few studies clearly identify the activities driving travel demand or if they increase visits. To address this, we analyzed E-scooter use patterns to leisure facilities. E-scooter use is significantly correlated with daily dining and drinking, shopping, and recreational activities, in that order, with higher correlation clusters in downtown and university campus areas. Using a Difference-in-Differences approach, we found E-scooter use does not significantly increase overall visits.

Shunhua Bai, Junfeng Jiao Yefu Chen, Jiani Guo

Shunhua Bai:
Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology.
Junfeng Jiao: Conceptualization, Funding acquisition, Supervision.
Yefu Chen:
Jiani Guo:

Supplementary data to this article can be found online at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2021.102844.