Shared e-scooters are a trending mobility service and are usually advertised as a sustainable transport mode that could improve urban transport. However, there are concerns regarding their overall impacts, but to date few to no studies have been able to quantify them. This research conducts a socio-economic assessment of shared e-scooters, considering three dimensions: environmental (emissions and pollutants), social (physical activity, road safety, and pollution exposure), and economic (vehicle operating costs and time savings). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to assess the socioeconomic impacts of shared e-scooters._x000D_
_x000D_
To conduct the assessment, we used a database with 1.4 million trips made in 2019 from an e-scooter operator in Lisbon, as well as an user survey on travel patterns with a sample size of 919 responses. Results show that for the case study, shared e-scooters do generate environmental and economic benefits, but they do not outweigh the costs related to their safety issues, which go to almost €6 million in annual costs._x000D_
_x000D_
These findings serve as a foundation for policymakers and other stakeholders to make evidence-based decisions regarding e-scooters and micromobility policies. In order to address the (current) key shortcoming, which we demonstrated to be the safety component. We believe that operators should improve the vehicles’ maneuverability, promote educational campaigns to discourage reckless driving, cities should increase enforcement and provide safe infrastructure in order to reduce the externalities, and hence, be able to enjoy their benefits.

Rosa Félix, Mauricio Orozco-Fontalvo, Filipe Moura
CERIS, Instituto Superior Técnico – Universidade de Lisboa

---

 
ID Abstract: 644