E for equity? E-scooter and e-bike schemes can help people on low incomes and with disabilities
Every capital city and over 25 local councils have trialled shared e-scooter systems through private operators including Lime, Beam and Neuron.
- Every capital city and over 25 local councils have trialled shared e-scooter systems through private operators including Lime, Beam and Neuron.
- Some people still think of these small electric personal vehicles as a passing fad.
- Or, worse, they see them as a source of transport system disruption, public space anarchy and traffic injury.
- Read more:
Five years on, Brisbane's e-scooters and e-bikes are winning over tourists and residents as they open up the city
These schemes can help ease disadvantage
- They were twice as likely to use them for essential trips (such as shopping or commuting) and to connect with public transport (44% versus 23%).
- Half of Lime Access customers said one benefit of micromobility was that it allowed them to “get somewhere without a car”.
- This finding suggests these programs can help support a car-free or car-light lifestyle.
People with disabilities also benefit
- However, a number of Lime Access customers wrote about how the program allows them mobility despite medical conditions or physical disability.
- Many of those disabilities are “invisible” – the casual observer is unlikely to notice them.
- Yet for the riders, the electric motor of the e-scooter or e-bike reduced the fatigue and strain they would experience walking or riding a standard bike.
- I wouldn’t be able to get groceries or run errands or do most anything I do because of Lime.
Read more:
The old road rules no longer apply: how e-scooters challenge outdated assumptions
What can governments do to maximise the benefits?
- Unlike public transport services and even taxi services, there is no government support to encourage shared micromobility operators to expand their programs.
- In the United States, city governments have been proactive in embedding equity requirements into service contracts with micromobility providers.
- With the right incentives in place, we can maximise the benefits of micromobility for people who are most in need of affordable and accessible transport solutions.
Alexa Delbosc conducted this project in collaboration with Lime. Calvin Thigpen, an author on the research paper, is an employee of Lime. Lime provided access to distribute the survey to Lime customers and did not provide any financial support for the study. Dr Thigpen only became involved in the project during late-stage paper writing and qualitative data analysis.