Citation

Félix R, Orozco-Fontalvo M, Moura F. Transp. Res. D Trans. Environ. 2023; 118: e103714.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.trd.2023.103714

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Shared e-scooters are a trending mobility service and are usually advertised as a sustainable transport mode which could improve urban transport. However, there are concerns regarding their overall impacts. This research conducts a socio-economic assessment of shared e-scooters, considering environmental (emissions and pollutants), social (physical activity, road safety and pollution exposure), and economic (vehicle operating costs and time savings) dimensions. Therefore, we used data from 1.4 million trips from a e-scooter operator in Lisbon and a user survey with 919 responses.

RESULTS show that while shared e-scooters do generate benefits, these are highly overshadowed by their safety issues (almost €6M in annual costs). Authorities and organizations should join efforts to improve shared e-scooters' safety and maximize its benefits. To our knowledge, this is the first study to quantify the socio-economic impacts of shared e-scooters, so the limitations of the used methods are identified and can be improved in future research.

Language: en

Keywords

E-scooter impacts; Micromobility benefits; Scooter externalities; Scooter safety; Socio-economic assessment; Transport health impacts